The Choices We Make
by Min0rDetails
Summary: The Golden Trio's time at Hogwarts is long over, but their children's adventures have just begun. Follow Rose, Al, and Scorpius as they forge friendships, find love, and face new dangers. This is a Scorose pairing, but old HP and other Next Gen characters are also featured! *CURRENTLY UNDERGOING EDITING FOR MINOR GRAMMATICAL/SPELLING MISTAKES* But will update ASAP.
1. BEGINNINGS

**All characters and settings belong to the lovely J.K. Rowling who is my inspiration for all things magical.**

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It was a normal day at King's Cross Station, well, as normal as any September 1st could possibly be. If the everyday commuters were more observant, then they would probably have seen some very peculiar sights. Among these peculiar sights was a family of four, two of whom had vivid, fiery red hair, and two of whom had brown hair. What was peculiar about this family wasn't their hair color (although it was hard to come by that impressive red color naturally), it was the young girl carrying a cart with a trunk, an odd, longish-shaped wrapped object, and most astoundingly, a snowy white owl. The pet owl might have been foreign to most ordinary families, but this particular family of red and brown hair was far from ordinary. In fact, some would say that they were extraordinary.

You see, every member of the aforementioned family were wizards. And this family did not consist of just ANY wizards; they were the GRANGER-WEASLEY wizarding family. And in the Wizarding World, this name held respect, and esteem, which unfortunately for the Granger-Weasley's, meant no privacy. So to have arrived at the train station on time and without the wizarding paparazzi hot on their trail was nothing short of a miracle.

"Alright Rosie, you and Mum will go first. Hugo and I will follow after with your cart. Be lively now. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention." Ron said as he glanced around at the station jam packed with unsuspecting muggles (non-magical folk).

As soon as Ron finished talking, a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her thirties led an equally beautiful girl of around ten or eleven to the pillar between platform 9 and ¾. The woman and the girl, who appeared to be in mid conversation, leaned against the barrier in order to finish their conversation. However, it is unknown whether or not they were able to finish their conversation because they were gone as soon as they leaned against the barrier.

Once Ron realized that Hermione and Rose had made it through the barrier without difficulty and without anyone noticing, he turned to Hugo and grabbed the cart. "Ok Hugo, it's our turn now. I'll push the cart and start walking. Just make sure that you have a hold on the other side of this cart. We'll do this nice and easy so no one notices."

And with that father and son started walking towards the barrier, and like mother and daughter before them, they seemed to pass right through. Once on the other side of the barrier, Ron and Hugo were approached by an anxious looking Rose Weasley. "There you are! I was worried sick that you guys would be locked out! That would be horrible since you have all of my clothes, books, and school supplies with you! Oh, and you also have Briella! I don't know what I would do if she got left behind! She was a present from Uncle Harry! She looks just like Uncle Harry's first owl-"

"Rose, sweetheart, give it a rest! Hugo and I came right behind you and Mum. Speaking of Mum, you're beginning to sound more and more like her every day! Why, I remember that during our first year your Mum told Uncle Harry and I that the worst thing that could happen to us would be getting expelled! Never mind that we were working against Vold-"

"Ronald! What have I told you about telling the kids stories!" interrupted a half annoyed and half amused Hermione Granger-Weasley.

"Sorry Mione! You know I can't resist! Besides, it seems to have calmed Rosie down."

Hermione then glanced at Rose who did appear to be more calm. Although, Hermione attributed Rose's calmness to the fact that she had just spotted her cousin Albus and his family at the other end of the train station.

"Al! Thank goodness you're here!" a grinning Rose said as soon as she reached her black haired and green-eyed cousin.

"See Al, you have nothing to worry about. I told you Rose would be here… And, it looks like she's all ready to take Hogwarts by storm!" Harry Potter said to a nervous looking Al and a blushing Rose.

"HARRY!" shouted Ron and Hermione upon catching up with Rose.

"Hi Ron, Hermione. Has today been as hectic for you guys as it's been for me and Gin? I swear that it was not this hard to get ready for school when we were this young."

"HUGO!" screeched a young, red-headed girl who had just come through the barrier with her equally red-haired mother.

While the girl ran and embraced her cousin, the woman began to anxiously scan the crowd as she approached the trio and children. "Has anyone seen James? I swore that he was just in front of us."

"Gin, you know James is starting his third year. He's too cool to be seen with his family. He's probably already on board with some of his friends!" a grinning Harry joked.

Ginny however, appeared far less amused. "Too cool for his family huh? We'll see how cool he is once I shoot one of my bat boogey hexes at him!"

"Aww c'mon Gin! Give the kid a break! We weren't so keen to spend forever in our parents clutches when we were kids!" Ron exclaimed.

All of a sudden the smoke from the train thinned, allowing the Potter and Weasley-Granger's to see the outline of another family. While the Potter and Weasley-Granger families were relaxed and talkative, the family of three at the other end of the station appeared to be the exact opposite. The pale man with the receding hair line was talking to his equally pale son. His wife stood on the other side of him with a comforting hand placed on her son's shoulder. The man was talking to his son about something, but it was hard to discern what he was saying. But whatever he was telling his son was serious, based on the grave expression on the his face.

Upon seeing the man and his family, Ron bent down to Rose's level and said, "Make sure you beat him in every test Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

Before Rose could ask why her father wanted her to beat this mystery boy so bad, her mother retorted and told her father that he shouldn't try to turn her against the boy before they had even met.

Rose smiled to herself. This is why she adored her mother. She was one of the most caring, selfless, and brave people Rose had ever known. Rose had read all of the war books, and had heard tales of the war from her parents and all of her aunts and uncles, and the fact that her mother, Hermione Granger-Weasley, was standing here today was a testament of her mother's strength.

All of a sudden, a sharp whistle could be heard through the crowd. "Alright! It's time to board! Everyone say their last minute goodbyes. Ron could you help me with the luggage?" asked Ginny Potter as her husband Harry was a bit preoccupied with giving Al some last minute advice, and Hermione was explaining to Lily and Hugo why they couldn't attend Hogwarts just yet.

Once the luggage was on the train, and everyone had said their goodbyes, Al and Rose boarded the train. As the train began to move, Al and Rose stood in the door and waved to both of their parents and siblings. Once the train rounded the bend, the duo stopped waving and gave each other a nervous grin.

"Let's find an open compartment Al. Then we can relax before we get to school."

And with that, Albus Potter and Rose Weasley set off down the train that would lead them to the place where they would experience the greatest of wonders and meet the greatest of people.

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This is my first ever fanfiction! Please, if anyone has any comments, concerns, or constructive criticism please feel free to tell me in the reviews! All I ask is that all of the reviews be polite, even if you're telling me you think my writing is horrible! I'll try and update as quick as I can!

Thanks :)

P.S. This will be multi-chapter. It will be from first year through seventh year, and possibly beyond!


	2. OF TRAIN RIDES AND TALKING HATS

**J.K. Rowling owns all characters and settings!**

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Rose and Al were making their way down the train aisle when one of the compartment doors opened with a bang. "There you lot are!" said a grinning James Potter. We were all wondering if you lot had been left at the train station!"

The "you all" that James was referring to was the whole Potter and Weasley family who appeared to be jam packed into one tiny carriage compartment.

"Well come on in! Dom, move over." said Victorie, the Head Girl and oldest Weasley cousin.

Al of course moved right into the compartment, even though there really hadn't been enough room in the first place.

"I think that I'll keep going! It looks a little packed in here!" Rose said to an agreeing James before heading down the aisle. "Besides, this will give me time to explore the train and read my books!" Rose thought to herself as she passed one full compartment after the other. Before she knew it, Rose was at the very back of the train facing the last compartment.

Rose breathed out a sigh of relief upon seeing the empty compartment. And without further ado, she pulled the door open and flung herself down onto the seat. Only, what Rose flung herself onto ended up being a person, and not the seat. And the said person that an embarrassed Rose plopped down on let out a muffled "ompf" as Rose tumbled to the floor in shock.

"I… I, uh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! I thought this compartment was empty because I didn't see anyone in here. I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I just sat on you! And here I was hoping to read my school books, but instead I managed to sit right on your lap!" an incredibly red faced Rose rambled as she tried to avoid looking the person she sat on in the eye.

When only silence met her rambling apology, Rose decided it was ok to take a tentative peek at the person she whose lap she sat on. Rose turned a darker shade of red upon seeing that the person she sat on was the pale boy her father had told her to beat in every single test!

The boy was just staring at Rose. Upon close inspection, Rose could see that his eyes were blue. Not ocean blue like hers were, but a pale icy blue. But what intrigued Rose the most about the boy's eyes wasn't their color, but their expression. The boy's eyes were wide with shock, and possibly embarrassment? Rose wasn't sure about the later. Maybe it was her own embarrassment she saw reflected in his eyes. But beyond the shock of her sitting on him was curiosity, a certain warmth, and hurt, which is what struck Rose the most. This boy had hurt in his eyes. And Rose didn't know why, but all she knew was that she wanted to be the one to make that hurt go away.

So without further ado, Rose stuck out her hand and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Rose Weasley. I like reading, flying, and learning new things. I'm also rather clumsy, as you could guess since I fell on you. What's your name?"

"I'm Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy." the boy replied. He did not take her hand.

Rose figured that may be for the best considering that she was still on the floor. Upon realizing this, Rose retracted her hand and made her way to the seat opposite of Scorpius.

"You're a Malfoy? I've heard all about the Malfoy family!" Rose said.

"I bet you have." Scorpius replied with a grave tone.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to be offensive! I've just heard about your family from my family and from the books I read. The Malfoy's are one of the oldest Pureblood families in the Wizarding World!" Rose finished.

"Yea, and a whole lot of good that has done us." Scorpius retorted.

At that comment Rose met Scorpius' eyes. They were captivating yet challenging.

"You know, you're nothing like my Dad described the Malfoy family." Rose said kindly and cautiously.

"Yea, after the war, my father tried to distance himself as much as he could from the family name. The war broke something inside of him. It made him question everything. He didn't know who he was or what he believed in anymore. He turned to alcohol for a while to try and cope. That's actually how my mother found him. He told me that it was amazing that she fell in love and stayed with him. You know, I really don't know why I'm telling you all of that. A Weasley of all people. My Dad said you would probably hate me the most out of everyone at school because of what he did to your family. Especially your Mum in his own house."

"Your father can't be held accountable for what your great aunt did to my mother. Bellatrix Lestrange was the one who tortured my Mum and carved the word Mudblood into her arm. The only thing that your father did to my mother was make childish taunts at her while they were in school. And my mother has forgiven your father for that. She realizes now that it couldn't have been easy to grow up being taught that Muggles and Mudbloods are inferior and that Voldemort was right." Rose retorted fiercely.

Scorpius looked surprised that Hermione Granger-Weasley had forgiven his father, since his father hadn't yet forgiven himself. "My father still hasn't forgiven himself for his role in the war. It's eating him up inside. He rarely smiles. If he does, it's usually only at me, my Mum, or my Grandmum." Scorpius said sadly.

"I'm sorry he feels that way. My Mum once told me that the only person you can change is yourself. You can't change other people or control what they do. Your father could not control Bellatrix Lestrange's actions. He could only control his own. My Uncle Harry said that your father refused to acknowledge that it was them when they were first brought to the manor. That was doing something! He chose to LIE to his own father by playing dumb about their identities. And now he's changed. He's taught you both sides of the war. He's warned you that you might not be well liked. I know for a fact that he's donated tons of money to war relief efforts and to St. Mungos. It sounds like your Dad has definitely changed for the better Scorpius. He may not have been the greatest person back when he was a kid, but now it sounds like he's a pretty decent man." Rose said.

After hearing Rose WEASLEY'S defense of his own father, Scorpius gave Rose a tentative smile. But after a few seconds, that little smile turned into a full out toothy grin that Rose couldn't help but find adorable.

"You know, you're one of the only people that has ever said something nice about my father. And you're the only person aside from my family that has talked to me today. Everyone else turned tail once they saw it was me sitting in the compartment. I guess being seen with a Malfoy is social suicide." Scorpius said dryly.

"Well bugger on them then. Who cares what people think? The only one you need to impress is yourself!" Rose said indignantly on Scorpius' behalf.

After Rose's latest defense, both Rose and Scorpius seemed to realize the serious nature of the conversation they just had. And upon realizing that, both looked away from each other rather quickly.

After a few seconds of awkward silence and the clearing of a throat, Scorpius looked up at Rose and said, "Thanks."

Rose smiled at Scorpius and said, "That's what friends are for."

"I've never really had friends before. What do friends do?"

"Well, for one, they talk just like we've been doing! They also share books, and food, and funny stories! Oh, hey, my Mum packed me some chocolate frogs! Want one?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Sure! Hey, I've got Dumbledore! Wow, that's awesome! Who do you have? Scorpius asked.

"Morgana. I have about six of those. Do you want her?"

"Yes please!"

"She's yours then!" Rose said as she handed Scorpius the card.

All of a sudden the door to the compartment slammed open revealing and slightly disheveled and disgruntled Albus Potter. Albus' eyes shone with relief as soon as he saw Rose. "There you are. Thank God you have a compartment by yourself. I've taken about as much of the family as I can get. You had the right idea earlier. I don't know what I was thinking trying to squeeze in with all five thousand of our cousins!" Al exaggerated.

"You have five thousand cousins? I knew that your family was large, but I didn't realize it was that large!" Scorpius joked.

Al froze and turned his head towards the new voice so fast that he creaked his neck. "What the! OW! Who are you, and are you making fun of our family?!" a wincing Al growled at a stunned and nervous looking Scorpius.

"For goodness sake Al, couldn't you see Scorpius was joking? Why'd you have to pull a James and just jump to conclusions? Scorpius is my friend. Please treat him as such!" Rose said rather crossly.

"Scorpius? As in Scorpius MALFOY?! Rose, you're Dad warned you to stay away from the whole Malfoy family! Don't you know what they've done to our family? To your MOTHER? Al practically screamed the last part in panic without regards to the fact that Scorpius was also in the compartment.

Rose however was well aware that Scorpius was still there, and that he now looked ashamed and embarrassed. And this was something Rose could just NOT tolerate. First, Scorpius had NOTHING to be ashamed of. Second, no one treated someone Rose cared about like that and got away with it, even if that someone was family. And with the famous Weasley temper roaring through her blood, Rose stood up to Albus. "ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO JUDGE SCORPIUS WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM? I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU HE WAS MY FRIEND! DON'T YOU TRUST MY JUDGEMENT? DO YOU THINK I WOULD BE SITTING HERE WITH HIM, SHARING CHOCOLATE FROGS AND CALLING HIM MY FRIEND IF HE WAS ANYTHING LIKE MY FATHER HAD BEEN DESCRIBING THE MALFOY FAMILY? WELL GUESS WHAT, SCORPIUS IS SMART, KIND, AND FUNNY, NOT TO MENTION NOTHING LIKE HIS FATHER WAS LIKE WHEN OUR PARENTS WERE IN SCHOOL. AND SPEAKING OF HIS FATHER, HE'S CHANGED TOO! SO DON'T EVEN GO THERE WITH YOUR NEXT COMMENT AL! NOW EITHER SIT HERE AND APOLOGIZE AND ACTUALLY TALK TO SCORPIUS OR GET THE HELL OUT! Rose screamed at an opened mouthed and embarrassed looking Al.

For a few seconds all Al could do was open and close his mouth like a goldfish, but when he finally could speak, he turned to Scorpius and said, "I'm sorry mate. I was way out of line. Rose was right. I shouldn't have judged you without getting to know you. I pulled a James all right."

"It's ok. Apology accepted. I guess I should get used to it." Scorpius replied good naturedly.

"Well, Rose is your friend, so as Rose's best friend and cousin, I guess that you're going to be my friend too. And friends always have each other's back. Oh, hey, can I have a chocolate frog?" Al asked excitedly.

"Sure mate. Today has actually been a good day. I have my first two friends!" And with that Al and Scorpius began talking about what candy was the best, as if Al hadn't just judged Scorpius a full two minutes ago.

"Boys." a now calm Rose thought to herself as she took out one of her books. "Well, at least they're my boys." Rose thought as she prepared herself to read for the rest of the train ride.

* * *

"Rose, what if I get into Slytherin?" a nervous Al asked for the thousandth time.

"Al, it doesn't matter what house you get into. Your family will love and support you anyways. Besides, there is nothing wrong with Slytherin. Severus Snape was in Slytherin, and he was incredibly brave." Rose said as they traveled across the lake to Hogwarts.

"My whole family, minus my Mum, has been in Slytherin. If you get in Slytherin, maybe we can be together!" Scorpius told Al.

"But how do you know you'll be in Slytherin?" asked Rose.

"Well I don't, but I don't know, if my whole family has been in it…"

"Mate, as Rose said earlier, you're NOTHING like how Uncle Ron or my Dad said the Malfoy family was like. I doubt you'll be in Slytherin." Albus said.

"Well, I don't think you'll be in Slytherin either then!" Scorpius was quick to reply.

"Guys look! We're here!" Rose practically squealed as Hogwarts came into view.

One by one the boats landed and the kids got out. Once all of the kids were out they were greeted by the herbology Professor Neville Longbottom.

"Rose look, it's Nev!" Al said excitedly.

"Yea, except we can't call him that now that we're at school Al. Now shush, he's about to start talking!"

Hello first years. My name is Professor Longbottom. I teach Herbology here at Hogwarts and I am the Head of Gryffindor. You will soon enter into the Great Hall where you will be sorted by the Sorting Hat into one of the four houses. Gryffindor: Home of the Brave, Slytherin: Home of the Ambitious, Hufflepuff: Home of the Loyal, and Ravenclaw: Home of the Wise. Each house has something unique to offer and will teach you all you need to know. Now, if you'd all follow me.

And with that, the doors to the Great Hall swung open revealing a sight of four long tables packed with upperclassmen, and filled with lights and ghosts. The whole sight was kind of overwhelming to Rose, Al, and Scorpius who had only heard stories and read books about Hogwarts. The real deal was so much more intense.

Professor Longbottom walked to the front of the Great Hall with a stool and an old wizard hat. The Great Hall became silent as the hat began to sing.

Rose was trying to listen to the song, but found that she couldn't over Al's repeated mumbles of "Not Slytherin, please not Slytherin."

Rose decided to ignore it for the first minute, but once she realized that Al was not going to stop, she decided to make him stop. So, without further ado, an annoyed Rose Weasley stomped down hard on Albus Potter's foot. The latter then made a high pitched squeal that unfortunately carried around the hall as the Sorting Hat had just finished singing. This caused a few sniggers as students looked around for the source of the sound. Luckily for Al, who was an interesting shade of red, Professor Longbottom chose that moment to start the roll call.

"ANDERSON, MICHAEL!"

After some deliberation, the Sorting Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" to the loud applause from the table decked in red and gold.

The sorting continued on until, "MALFOY, SCORPIUS!" was called to the front.

The hall suddenly became silent for everyone wanted to see where the son of an ex-death eater would be placed.

The Sorting Hat took a long time to sort Scorpius, much to his discomfort. But, when the hat finally did decide, it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"

Dead silence.

There was no clapping for everyone was stunned that a MALFOY had been placed anywhere but Slytherin.

Rose couldn't take it anymore, and poor Scorpius was frozen on the stool all red faced and embarrassed. So she started clapping and hollering, and nudged Al so he would do the same. Then the rest of the school followed their lead, and Scorpius was led over to the Ravenclaw table.

Nothing else noticeable happened until, "POTTER, ALBUS!" was called to the front.

The hat took a while with Albus too, but not as long as it took with Scorpius. But then, "RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table exploded with applause as a relieved looking Albus Potter stumbled over to sit next to a beaming Scorpius.

Rose was only vaguely aware that all of the rest of the students were being called up. She was too busy being happy for Al and Scorpius. So it came as quite the surprise when Professor Longbottom came up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Had she really missed her name being called? And Oh Merlin! She was the last one to be sorted too. How embarrassing!" Rose mentally cursed herself.

When Rose put on the hat, she could hear the hat talking to itself, or her. She actually wasn't sure if the hat was talking to her, or just thinking aloud.

"Hmmm, another Weasley. I've sorted quite a few of you over the years. Hmmm, the rest of the clan is in Gryffindor. You'd do well there. BUT. You are also a Granger. I see you take after your mother as opposed to your father academically. You also have a good heart and a good ability to sense reason and justice. There really isn't any other place for you other than "RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaw table was absolutely beside themselves with happiness. They had gotten both a POTTER and a WEASLEY! Happy days, happy days!

A grinning Rose wove her way to the seat between Al and Scorp that they had made as soon as they heard that she would also be in Ravenclaw. And then, the food appeared. The three friends ate to their hearts content while meeting their fellow first years and upper classmen. Then before they knew it, it was time to leave the great hall. They were led to the Ravenclaw tower where they then got ready for bed.

Before the trio went to bed, they couldn't help but smile. Today had been a GREAT day!

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Please review :)

Next Chapter will be titled: OF BULLIES AND TRIALS which also takes place during 1st year.

You'll have to continue reading to find out what happens next! ;)


	3. OF SILENCE AND SUFFERING

**Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling**

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The first few weeks for school were relatively normal for Rose, Al, and Scorp. Their routine went something like this. Wake up, get ready for the day, meet in the common room for breakfast, eat breakfast in the great hall, read their letters/the newspaper, and go to class. Then they would meet again for lunch in front of the great hall, and then go to class right after. After they ate dinner together, they would all go do homework and study in the library. The three young Ravenclaws found a lovely little niche in the back of the library that they soon claimed as their own.

It was during one of these study sessions that Rose began to suspect that there was something going on with Scorpius. He was acting more reserved lately, and would often show up late to class or study time. Sometimes his clothes would be all messed up, and he would be shifty when asked why he was late.

"Al, I'm worried about Scorp. He's been acting all reserved lately. It's like we've just met for the first time again on the train! Something's going on!" Rose said worriedly.

"Rose, you worry too much. Scorp is fine. Maybe he's being secretive because he has a secret girlfriend or something. I don't know. Just don't worry." Al said nonchalantly.

"Al, we're eleven. We shouldn't even be interested in the opposite sex." Rose chided.

"Opposite sex Rosie? Really? How old school can you get?" Al teased.

"Shut it Al." Rose said.

Rose and Al's playful bickering was interrupted by a late Scorpius. Upon close inspection, Rose realized that he had dark circles under his eyes, and that he looked paler than usual. As Scorpius sat down in the seat across from her and Al, Rose couldn't help but notice Scorpius' unintentional wince.

"Are you ok Scorp? You look a little tired." Rose stated kindly.

"Yea, I'm totally fine! Why wouldn't I be fine? Can't a guy be tired?!" Scorp whisper shouted back.

Rose and Al exchanged a wide eyed look. Usually Scorp would just brush of Rose's questions. This was the first time he had ever reacted so strongly to something Rose had said.

"Scorp mate, you know you can tell Rose and I anything right?" Al stated apprehensively.

"We wouldn't judge or make comments if you just want someone to listen." Rose added.

"Sorry I snapped at you guys. I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm fine. I swear." Scorpius said in a falsely bright voice that Rose doubted even he believed.

Whatever was wrong with Scorpius, Rose was going to fix. She decided right then and there to get to the bottom of it. And she was dragging Al along for the ride.

* * *

"Rose, do you really want to do this? I mean think about it. How would you feel if Scorpius just up and wrote a letter to your parents? Is that really necessary?!" Al pleaded with Rose. He wanted her to see it from Scorpius' perspective.

"What else should I do Al? It's been a month and a half since Scorp's library outburst, and he's been acting strange ever since. You said he hasn't been sleeping well, and he barely eats. I'm worried about him! And, nothing you or I have said or done has seemed to make a difference. I'm doing this for his own good!" Rose retorted fiercely.

"But Rose… Have you ever thought that Scorp might be acting weird and avoiding us for a reason?" Al questioned.

"What do you mean Al?"

"I mean, what if he's trying to send us a message? That he doesn't want to be friends or anymore or something…"

"Don't be ridiculous Al. We're Scorp's best friends! In fact, we might be his only friends! Oh great, now I have to worry about the fact that Scorp doesn't have many friends! Oh, good, we're here." Rose said as they entered the owlery.

"Great…"

"Oh chin up Al! This will work. It has to. Come here Briella!" Rose called to her snowy white owl. "Alright, I want to read this through one more time. Feel free to give your input Al."

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,_

_My name is Rose Weasley. You may remember my parents, Ron and Hermione, from school. I'm writing to you today about your son, Scorpius. He is one of my best friends. He is polite, nice, intelligent, and charming._

_But that's not the reason I'm writing you this letter. I'm writing to you today because I'm worried about Scorp. I've noticed a change in his overall behavior in the past couple of months. Recently, my cousin Al and I have noticed that Scorp is more reserved and tends to keep more to himself, when at the beginning, he was engaging and talkative. Now Al says that he has trouble sleeping, and he barely eats at meal times! Al and I have tried talking to him, but he keeps insisting that everything is alright. I just have this feeling that everything isn't ok. And I don't like that he thinks he feels he has to deal with this all by himself! _

_I hope that you'll be able to talk to him, and figure out what's been bothering him. I really care about your son, and I don't like seeing him hurting._

_All the best!_

_Rose Nymphadora Weasley_

"What do you think Al?" Rose asked after they read the letter through.

"Well, it sounds really professional… But at the same time it sounds like you genuinely care, which is a good thing!" Al hurriedly said after a look from Rose.

"Ok, well this is it. Briella, can you take this letter to Draco and Astoria Malfoy?" Rose asked her owl who blinked her eyes and stuck out her leg. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"You know, even though I don't entirely agree with you sending the Malfoys that letter, it was really brave." Al said as the duo watched Briella fly off into the distance.

* * *

"So now what do you want to do?" Al asked as they were walking back to their common room.

"I don't know Al. Maybe we could-" Rose stopped suddenly in her tracks.

"Rose…?" Al questioned.

"Shhhh! Do you hear that?!" Rose whispered.

"Hear what?" Al asked really confused.

But then he heard it too. The sounds were really muffled. It sounded as if someone was fighting.

"Al, we should go and see what's happening!"

And with that, the duo tiptoed down the hall towards where the noise was coming from. The sight that popped up before them made Rose's blood run cold. Scorpius Malfoy was jammed up against a wall by five burly fifth year Gryffindors. And these weren't any fifth year Gryffindors. The boy who had Scorpius pinned against the wall with his wand at his throat was none other than Jackson Monroe. Monroe was known around school for his crudeness and his ego, none of which painted him in a pleasant light.

"Well, if it isn't little Scorpy Malfoy. Son of the most cowardly death eater of them all. Well, just so you know, you're grandfather killed my uncle and his family because my father refused to believe in that Pureblood mania shit! Well, guess who has the dirty blood now! All you death eater scum aren't worth shit." Monroe smirked.

"Now, what curse should we hit you with this time? I see that the ones we've used in the past haven't quite made you break… I guess we'll need to use something a bit stronger…" Monroe was stroking his wand, deep in thought.

"Oh, I know! But first, silencio. Suffering in silence only intensifies the punishment."

And with that, Monroe pointed his wand at the middle of Scorpius' chest and said, "Curcio."

And with that, Scorpius began to squirm helplessly on the floor, writhing in pain, as Monroe and his crew laughed.

"Al, we have to do something!" Rose frantically whispered. "I'm going to help him!"

"Rose wait!" Al whisper shouted. "You can't just go in there against them! You could get hurt."

"Just try and stop me Al. Scorp needs me! You go and get help. I'll try to buy Scorpius some time."

As Al took off running down the hall, Rose squared her shoulders and stepped up to the boys.

"Oi! Don't you know Unforgivables are worth a life sentence in Azkaban?"

At the sound of her voice, Monroe and his cronies turned around.

"And who the hell are you, little girl?" Monroe smirked condescendingly.

"Rose Nymphadora Weasley. Daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley. Oh, and favorite niece to Head Auror, Harry Potter." Rose smirked in return.

"Oh, so you're a Weasley. You should technically be supporting us right now. I mean, we're sort of doing you a favor." Monroe said.

By this time, Rose had managed to place herself between Monroe and the semi-conscious Scorpius.

"And what favor would that be?" Rose asked icily.

"Well the Malfoy family gave your family shit. Especially your mother. This little shit's family tortured your mother! And, they were huge supporters of You-Know-Who! And his father tried to kill Dumbledore." Monroe answered triumphantly.

"You don't know what you're talking about, and what you're doing is as bad as the Death Eaters! You're using the same curse the Death Eaters used to torture my mum!" Rose said.

"Please, we're nothing like the Death Eaters! We don't look down on people because of their blood! We look down on those who look down upon others! We're delivering justice where it wasn't served. The Malfoy family got off too easy after the war. They need to pay!" Monroe retorted. He was starting to get seriously ticked off at the young first year who was screwing up his fun.

"You call this justice? Torturing an innocent boy? That's not justice, that's revenge. And revenge only leads to more wrong doing." Rose tried to reason with the now visibly angry Monroe.

"Oh, I see. You're a traitor. You support these assholes! "Reducto!"" Monroe screamed at Rose who was ill prepared to ward off the attack.

However, a different voice said weakly but clearly, "Protego!" so that Rose only received half of the blow. But, Rose smashed into the wall behind her nonetheless. As Rose was losing consciousness, she could swear she heard Al yelling, and the angry voice of one Professor McGonagall. But she wasn't sure.

* * *

"ROSE!" Al yelled joyously as Rose was regaining consciousness.

"Where am I?" Rose asked groggily.

"The Hospital Wing." Scorpius answered from the bed next to hers. "They brought us both up here after the fight. We were all worried about you. You had lost so much blood…"

"Never mind me! What about you?! Are you ok! I can't believe they used that, that curse on you! And it sounds like they've been targeting you for a while now!" Rose exclaimed.

"Well, they have. It's been going on since before that time in the library where I freaked out at you guys." Scorp said ashamedly.

"But then it's been going on for more than three months!" Al all but yelled.

"Oh Scorp! Why didn't you tell us? We're your friends, we could've helped you!" Rose said with tears in her eyes.

"NO! You couldn't have helped. You don't understand! Monroe said if I told anyone that he would hurt you guys! You're my only friends, I couldn't let you guys get hurt. It would hurt worse than all the curses they fired at me!" Scorpius said.

Before Rose or Al could respond to Scorpius', the hospital doors swung open with a bang revealing a very angry Ron Weasley, and a very pale looking Draco Malfoy.

"WHAT DID YOUR SON DO TO MY DAUGHTER MALFOY?!" Ron Weasley yelled. He was in the middle of the famous Weasley temper.

But Draco didn't pay attention to the furious Ron. He only had eyes for his son, who admittedly looked worse for wear.

"Dad! Scorp didn't do-" an embarrassed Rose began to say only to be cut off by a furious Hermione Granger-Weasley.

If a mad Ron Weasley was scary, then an angry Hermione Granger-Weasley was drop dead terrifying.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS?! WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION BEFORE WE LEFT THE HOUSE!" Hermione screamed at a now red faced and embarrassed Ron.

"You're just like James." Ginny said as she, Harry, and Astoria all entered the hospital wing.

"SCORP!" Astoria cried as she raced over to her son's bedside.

Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all went over to their children, leaving Draco Malfoy standing alone in the center of the infirmary.

Everyone was silent, except for the mother's fretting over the welfare of their children when Draco suddenly exclaimed, "THIS IS ALL MY BLOODY FAULT! IT'S MY FAULT THAT MY SON'S IN THE HOSPITAL RECOVERING FROM THE CRUCIATIS CURSE AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE!"

Hermione gasped upon hearing the word "Cruciatis." "Rose, is this true? What on earth happened?!" Hermione asked Rose worriedly. "Were you hit too?"

"She better not have been!" Ron retorted. He had concern and murder in his eyes.

"Why don't Rose, Al, and Scorpius tell us what happened from the beginning." Harry suggested.

And with that, Scorpius began the tale of how Monroe and his cronies had approached him a few months back, only to start harassing him. At first it had started as nasty words, but then it escalated to physical violence. The day in the library that Scorp freaked out on Al was the first day that Monroe had physically hurt him. And it was then that he told Scorp that he would hurt Al and Rose if he ever told anyone.

By the end of Scorpius' tale, Astoria, Draco, Hermione, Ginny, and Rose were all openly crying while Harry, Ron, and Al all looked sick to their stomachs.

"We need to find this Monroe fellow Ron. He needs to be found. He's already used one unforgivable. We need to bring him in." Harry said.

With that, he and Ron got up to leave the room. They were almost to the door when they were stopped by a determined looking Draco Malfoy. "Potter, Weasley, wait. I'm coming with you."

"Look Malfoy, I'm not sure this is such a great-"

"Save it Potter, this is my son we're talking about here! I'm not letting anyone get away with treating my family that way!" Draco said. There was a dangerous, almost manic look in his eyes.

"But that's why I don't think you should come. You're not in your right mind." Harry said calmly.

"Draco, I think Harry's right. This needs to be handled by the authorities. From what the kids have told us, it seems like this Monroe has a vendetta against all former Death Eaters for some personal issues. If you go and lose control, this will end up reflecting badly on you and your family. You need to trust Harry and Ron on this. We'll bring Monroe to justice." Hermione said soothingly.

"And how do you plan on bringing Monroe to justice, Granger." Draco asked in a more calm manner.

"It's Weasley now. And, as the Head of the Department of Magical Law, I vow that I will do everything in my power to help you and you're family. Scorpius is Rose's friend. Therefore, he is a friend to our family as well." Hermione said this last part while looking at Rose who was looking at Scorpius. Scorpius, on his part, was totally oblivious to Rose's gaze, but Hermione was all too aware of what that look meant. After all, it was the same look she gave Ron every day.

"Draco, please. We need to think things through. This is our son we're talking about." Astoria said as she put her hand through Draco's.

After a few deep, deep breaths, Draco reluctantly handed the reins over to Harry and Ron. "Alright, we'll do it your way. You have full usage of the Malfoy fortune to use to bring Monroe in. If you don't succeed, then we're doing this my way. Oh, and, we are going to bring Scorpius home a week early. It's the week before Christmas holidays. The official story will be that we're vacationing in France. I trust that you will stick to the official story."

And with that, Draco and Astoria left the hospital wing to find McGonagall and see what she was doing to discipline the kids before Harry and Ron got to them.

"We should go too. We need to make sure our husbands are doing everything by the book. It would be quite a story for the papers if both the Head and Deputy Head of the Auror Office got arrested for acting too exuberant." Ginny said as she and Hermione got up to find their husbands.

"We'll see you later. Everything will work out in the end, you'll see." Hermione added as she followed Ginny out the door.

"You ok Scorp?" Al asked once the adults had left.

Scorpius then turned to Al and Rose and offered them the first genuine smile they had seen in months. "Yea, I think I am ok now."

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

I know I said that this chapter would be called Of Bullies and Trials, but the chapters are kind of long, so I decided to rename and separate them. Next Chapter will be called JUSTICE, and it will focus on the events leading up to the trail, the trail, and the aftermath. And that should just about bring us up to the end of their 1st year!

TRIAL CHARACTERS:

Hermione Granger-Weasley: Prosecutor

Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley: Lead investigators

Rose, Al, and Scorpius: Witnesses


	4. OF JUSTICE AND DEATH

**J.K. Rowling owns all**

* * *

Rose, Al, and Scorpius found the Christmas Holidays quite a relief. They were finally away from all of the questions and rumors that had been flying around the castle since the attack on Scorpius. With Scorpius out of school a week early, the brunt of the questions landed on Rose and Al's shoulders. But, as the holidays wore on, the trio couldn't help but wish to be back at Hogwarts. After all, there is only so much molly-codling an eleven year old could take.

"SCORP!" Rose and Al shouted as they made their way into the common room at the start of the new term.

"How did you manage to get here before us?" Al asked amazed.

"Well, us Malfoys have some pretty nifty connections!" Scorp said with a wink.

"Oh, haha. Now you decide to pull the Malfoy card." Al joked.

And then Al and Scorp started an all-out bickering war of who could make their family sound more pretentious. Scorp won.

Rose couldn't help but shake her head in amusement. While the boys were acting a bit immature for her taste, she was just happy that Scorp looked healthy and happy again. She had really missed hearing him laugh and seeing him smile.

"Rose, Al, Scorpius! How were your holidays?"

Rose stopped daydreaming and turned to face her best gal friend, Mei Corner. Mei Corner was the daughter of Michael Corner and Cho Chang-Corner.

"Mei! How are you! It's so good to see you! Al and I basically had the same holiday. Christmas morning at our separate houses, and then a giant family celebration at the Burrow in the evening. It's always fun, but it can be a bit overwhelming since our family is so big!" Rose finished breathlessly.

"Jeez, Rose! Could you talk any faster?" Al teased.

"That sounds like so much fun! What about you Scorpius?" Mei asked.

"Well, I went to France to visit my Aunt Daphne and her family the week before break. Other than that, my family just stayed at home." Scorp said.

"What about you Mei? How was your Christmas?" Al asked.

Rose glanced at her friend when she didn't answer Al's question right away and came to the startling conclusion that Mei was blushing! Over her cousin Albus! Dorky Albus! Rose realized that most girls were interested in boys, but she didn't think Mei had liked anyone yet! When the other girls in the dorm would talk about boys, she and Mei would usually be discussing the days HW, what they would like to do when they were older, or their favorite books. They even joked about how silly it sounded for eleven year old girls to be gushing about boys! And now Mei here was blushing over Albus Severus Potter. What had the world come to? They would need to talk about this at some point.

Rose nudged Mei to get her to pay attention. Mei let out a startled, "Oh!" which was quickly followed by, "Oh, my Christmas was lovely! We got together with our family, and then took a trip to China to see more of my mother's culture! It was so amazing!"

"Wow, that sounds so cool! I've never been out of the country before." Al exclaimed.

"What are you talking about Al? We've been to France to visit Aunt Gabrielle!" Rose said.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot about that!"

All of a sudden, the four friends burst out in uncontrollable laughter, which caused many of the other students to look around in confusion for the source of their laughter. When they didn't see anything out of the ordinary, the other students just figured that Rose, Al, Scorpius, and Mei were just weird.

* * *

The weeks seemed to fly by now that Monroe and his cronies were expelled from school. Before the trio knew it, it was already February. The trio was at their usual spot in the library studying for an upcoming test. Well, Rose was the only one studying since she had already finished that week's homework.

"Al, can you quiz me on the Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood?" Rose asked frantically. "I bet it'll be on our next Potions exam!"

"Rose, Al and I are trying to do our homework that's due for this week. We can't all be as smart and organized as you and finish our homework for the whole week by Tuesday. Besides, the test you're talking about is two weeks away!" Scorp said half amused and half exasperated. "Besides, you got a 112% on our last Potions test. I think you'll be fine."

"Seriously, I think Slughorn was about to have an apoplexy." Al joked.

"How can she study so hard without getting bored? I mean, I know we're Ravenclaws, but come on!" Scorp said.

"Mate, that's her mum showing through. Dad said that Aunt Hermione was just like Rose was when they were in school. She wrote out a study schedule for him and Uncle Ron!" Al said.

"No way! That's taking it too far! Rose better not do that to us!"

Scorp and Al were then interrupted by an irate Rose Weasley. "Oi! I'm trying to study! Take your complaints somewhere else!"

After glancing at each other, Al and Scorpius decided that the best way to get back in an irate Rose Weasley's good graces would be to grovel and compliment at the same time.

"Come on Rosie, you know we were just kidding! We love you!" Al said in what he thought was an irresistible voice.

"You're required to love me. You're my cousin! Besides you can't speak for Scorp." Rose said from behind her Potions book.

After some eye encouraging from Al, Scorpius decided it was his turn to give it a try. "Rose, you are the brightest, most intelligent, kind hearted, funny, and beautiful bookworm to ever grace this library. Would you do me the honor of coming out from behind your book and gracing us with your irresistible blue eyes?" Scorp said in his most charming Malfoy voice.

When Rose emerged from behind her book, she had a lovely blush sprinkled across her cheeks. "Thanks Scorp, but I think you were describing my mother there!" Rose said.

"Seriously Scorp! That was fantastic! You'll have to teach me how to do that!" Al said.

"No Rose. While I'm sure your mother is an amazing bookworm also, the person I described is you! You're all of those things and more! And I'm not your family, so don't even say that I'm obligated to say that. You're amazing, and that's why I'm glad you're my best friend!" Scorp said sincerely.

While Rose was ecstatic to find out that Scorp thought all of those wonderful things about her, she was still caught up on the best friend part. She didn't know why that bothered her since they were best friends, but it did. Oh well, it was something to think about on a different day. Right now she needed to be studying.

* * *

It was Valentine's Day, and Hogwarts was awash in pinks, purples, whites, and reds. Everywhere one looked, they would be floating hearts and roses. And, if one looked closely, they would even see Peeves dressed up as Cupid. All of the older students, particularly the girls, were all gaga about the holiday, much to the annoyance and disgust of both Al and Scorpius.

"Roooose! Why do girls like Valentine's Day so much? It's so icky!" Al complained as he scrunched up his nose like a five year old.

"Seriously. This holiday basically forces men to buy the girl they fancy expensive gifts. It's rather tacky and desperate in my opinion." Scorp added.

Rose rolled her eyes at the two boys. Did they seriously not understand romance? "Do you guys know what romance is?"

All she got were blank looks until Scorpius answered. "Of course we know what romance is! But what does it matter?"

"What does it matter?! Valentine's Day is all about ROMANCE! It's about love and loyalty. I think it's a beautiful holiday! Look at Dom and her boyfriend Nick Wood! They've been together for three years. He's given her a beautiful diamond heart necklace to show her how much he cares! It's so romantic." Rose practically sighed.

"Romantic?" Scorpius asked incredulously. "How is that romantic? He's only giving that necklace to her because of the holiday. If Valentine's Day didn't exist then he probably wouldn't have bought her the necklace!"

"Ugh, Scorp! Why do I even bother! You wouldn't know what romance was even if it was staring you in the eyes!" Rose said heatedly.

"Oh yea! Well I'll let you know that-"

"Guys, quit staring at each other! You're being really loud and everyone is looking over at us! You're being embarrassing." Al said from behind the fruit bowl.

It was then that Rose and Scorp realized that they were indeed causing quite the scene. All of the couples around them had turned to watch their heated debate. This caused Rose to blush the famous Weasley blush and for Scorpius to smile sheepishly and scratch the back of his head.

Luckily the owl post arrived which took attention away from Rose and Scorpius. Even Al poked his head over the fruit bowl to see if there were any owls heading his way.

All of a sudden a large ministry owl landed in front of a nervous looking Scorpius. Scorpius took the letter from the owl and opened it. After reading it, he quickly shoved it at Rose so that she and Al could read it too.

Rose and Al glanced at each other before starting to read.

_Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

_The trial against Jackson Monroe will be held on April 15__th__. You are expected to show up to the trial and sit as the Prime Witness for the Prosecution. You will surrender your wand upon arrival at the Ministry and then take some Veritaserum before your testimony._

_Yours truly,_

_William Anderson_

_Deputy Head of the Department of Law_

Rose and Al glanced at each other once again before turning to look at Scorpius.

"Well, at least he's going on trial." Scorpius managed weakly.

"Yea… and a Happy Valentine's Day to you too." Al mumbled to the owl that brought the letter.

* * *

February turned into March, and before the trio knew it, April had arrived. Scorpius tried to pretend that he wasn't nervous, but his constant restlessness gave him away. Al tried to cheer him up, but all he ended up doing was giving Scorp something new to worry about. Rose on the other hand, invested all of her free time in the library to research past court cases and rules. She would often drag Scorp and Al with her.

It was during one of these research sessions that Mei approached the trio with a letter from Professor McGonagall.

"Oh, thanks!" Al said to a blushing Mei. "Hey! McGonagall says that Aunt Hermione is here! And she wants to talk to the three of us in McGonagall's office!" Al whispered to Rose and Scorp.

So without further ado, the trio headed up to Professor McGonagall's office. Once there they were greeted once again by the sight of all of their parents. This sight alone was enough to make the trio stop in their tracks.

"Ermmm, are we in trouble?" Al asked.

"No, Al. You aren't in trouble. Aunt Hermione is here to help you all prepare for the trial since it's a week away." Uncle Harry said. "Unless of course there is something you should be in trouble for…"

"Nope Dad. James is the trouble maker. Not me." Al said in all serious which caused Ron to snort and Ginny to roll her eyes.

After glaring at Ron, Hermione turned to Rose, Al, and Scorpius. "Harry was right. You lot aren't in trouble. I'm here to help prepare you for your trial. By now, you've all received your letters with the date of the trial. In the letter they tell you that you're to leave your wand upon entrance to the ministry. They also tell you that you're to take Veritaserum before giving your testimony. Do you know what that is?"

Rose raised her hand to answer her mother's question. Al and Scorpius traded glances and tried not to laugh. Ron and Harry however couldn't quite control themselves.

"Dad, Uncle Harry, why are you laughing? I don't get what's so funny." Rose said in a puzzled voice.

"Sorry Rosie, it's just that you looked so much like your mother there with her hand raised in the air… I mean, this isn't school. You don't have to raise your hand!" Ron said between laughs.

"Oh, Ronald. Grow up. You're laughing at your daughter." Hermione said with an eye roll.

"Well, now that I think about it, I see what Potter and Weasley find so funny Granger. She does look a lot like you, only with the Weasley hair color…" Draco said almost as an afterthought.

At this, Hermione, Ginny, Astoria, and Rose all exchanged eye rolls.

"It's ok Rose. Boys will be boys. You can answer the question now. But in the future, you don't have to raise your hand dear." Hermione said.

"Veritaserum is a Truth Potion. The most powerful one in the wizarding world. Being under the influence of Veritaserum is the equivalent of being under the Imperius Curse. You have no control over what comes out of your mouth once you're under, just like you cannot control your actions when under the Imperius. That's why Veritaserum is illegal to use unless in conjunction with standardized and supervised Ministry control." Rose finished and looked at her mum for confirmation.

Hermione nodded her head and beamed at her daughter, who was remarkably like her. "That's right! This is why we're going to practice some questions and answers under the use of Veritaserum today. We are not going to ask any questions pertaining to the case, but we do want you to be familiar with how being under the influence of the Truth Potion feels. You don't need any surprises on the day of the trial. So, who wants to go first?" Hermione asked looking at the kids.

"I'll go." said a determined looking Scorpius.

"Perfect, if you'll step right over here. Veritaserum is colorless and odorless. It is also tasteless. However, the consistency is slightly thicker than that of water." Hermione said while giving Scorpius a small beaker full of the potion.

"Well, here goes nothing." Scorpius as he chugged the beaker in one swing.

"Ok Scorpius. Harry is going to start questioning you now." Hermione said. "I'll be watching and taking notes."

At his cue, Harry stepped up to stand in front of Scorpius.

"What is your full name?"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."

"What is your favorite color?"

"Ocean blue. It's very pretty."

"What is your greatest fear?"

"Losing the ones I love."

"Alright, I think that that's enough. The potion should wear off any minute now." Hermione said as she finished taking notes. "Rose, why don't you go next? Harry will ask you the same questions."

After Rose took the potion, Harry stepped in front of her. She was asked the same questions as Scorpius was. And then Al went through the same process. When the questioning was done, Hermione stood up and beamed at the children.

"Well done you lot! I think that you'll be well prepared for the trial!" Hermione said. "You guys are free to head back to your common room."

As they gathered up their stuff, Rose glanced back to her mum who was having a serious conversation with the adults. "Why don't you two go ahead? I just want to talk to my mum for a bit." Rose said as she made her way to her mom.

"Mum, can I talk to you for a minute?" Rose asked once she reached her mom.

"Sure sweetheart. What do you need?" Hermione asked as she and Rose made their way to the opposite side of the room.

"Mum, do you think the Wizengamot will judge this trial fairly and unbiased?" Rose asked her mum uncertainly.

Hermione looked at her daughter in surprise. "Rose, why do you think the Wizengamot would judge the trial any other way?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I was doing research on old trial cases. The one with Uncle Harry and all of the Death Eater trials. The Ministry was extremely biased against Uncle Harry because they didn't want to accept that Voldemort was back. And almost everyone has some prejudice against former Death Eaters and their families. Some members of the Wizengamot lost family members during the war. Susan Bones lost her aunt, and she's an important member of the court! I just don't want people to look the other way just because Scorpius' last name is Malfoy…" Rose said. Hermione could tell that her daughter was really worried about this.

"You really care for Scorpius, don't you?" Hermione asked Rose knowingly.

"I really do. He's one of my best friends! When he's hurt, I hurt, and all I want to do is make that hurt go away!" Rose said. "And if this trial goes bad, it'll tear him apart! And I can't bear to see that." Rose almost wailed.

"Rosie, calm down! I can personally guarantee that Scorpius will receive a fair and just trial. Even if people do have prejudices and biases, I'm confident that they will leave them at the door. That is what their job is. If they fail in that then they will lose their jobs. Kinglsey and I personally selected each and every member of the Wizengamot based on their abilities to be rational, and detached from the past." Hermione assured her daughter.

"Ok mum. Thanks. I guess I just really needed to hear that." Rose said as she tentatively smiled at her mom.

"It's ok sweetheart. Why don't you go and spend the rest of your evening with your friends? It's getting awfully late. We'll see you next week!" Hermione said as she gave her daughter a hug.

* * *

The day of the trial was warm and sunny. It was a perfect transition day into spring. Rose, Al, and Scorp we're going to side along apparate to the Ministry with the Malfoy family and Ginny.

"Alright. Al, you're coming with me. Scorpius, you'll be going with your father. Rose, you'll be with Mrs. Malfoy. We're going to have to apparate separately and then go down one at a time to the pretrial meeting room." Ginny informed everyone. "Scorpius, you'll be going first."

And with a slight popping noise, Draco and Scorpius disappeared.

After waiting a few minutes, Ginny disappeared with Albus.

Astoria Malfoy looked at Rose. "Are you ready sweetheart?" she asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Rose replied before Astoria disapparated them to the ministry.

When Rose and Astoria arrived in the atrium of the ministry, they were bombarded by the wizarding paparazzi and a swarm of reporters.

"Mrs. Malfoy! Is it true that your son is standing trial today for violence against a fellow student?"

"Is it true that your son is proficient in the Dark Arts?"

"Mrs. Malfoy, Rose! Look over this way!"

"Rose Weasley! Is it true that you're actually friends with Scorpius MALFOY?!" a pesky reporter asked as he all but shoved his magical microphone down Rose's throat.

"Please let us pass. We're just trying to get through." Astoria asked of the swarm of people surrounding them. "Just ignore them Rose. They're just going to print lies no matter what you say." Astoria said under her breath.

When it seemed that the reporters and photographers weren't going to let them pass, Astoria decided it was time to act. With a wave of her wand, she produced a beautiful silver dove that flew over the heads of everyone and disappeared through the wall.

"What was that?" Rose asked.

"That my dear was my Patronus. I've gone to ask for assistance." Astoria replied.

As soon as she was done talking, the lift on the far side of the atrium opened up to reveal an angry looking Draco, Harry, and Ron.

"YOU ALL HAVE THIRTY SECONDS TO DISAPPEAR BEFORE I ARREST YOU ALL FOR HARASSMENT AND TRESPASSING!" an angry Harry said in his magnified voice.

As soon as Harry made his statement, all of the reporters and paparazzi disappeared with a pop.

Rose and Astoria made their way over to Draco, Harry, and Ron and got in the lift with them.

"We're sorry you had to go through that. We thought we had security tight enough to keep them at bay." Harry said apologetically.

"Well, it obviously wasn't tight enough Potter seeing as my wife nearly got mauled with a microphone and blinded by the flashes." Draco retorted angrily.

"Draco, really, I'm fin-"

"Oi! Don't forget my daughter was there next to your wife! She had to deal with the same thing she did. It was a mistake! But rest assured we will get to the bottom of this!" an angry Ron said back to Draco.

Rose was really quite thankful that they were the only ones in the lift. It was rather embarrassing seeing your father having an argument with his old school rival.

"Daaaaaad. Can you please NOT argue with Mr. Malfoy? It's really, really embarrassing. Scorp and I are friends. Can you get along for our sake?" Rose asked pleadingly.

This shut Ron and Draco right up. It was as if they suddenly realized the effect their petty arguing was having on those around them.

"Oh for heaven's sake Draco! Just shake his hand! I for one am quite fed up with this too!" Astoria said crossly. "Besides, Rose is a great friend to Scorpius. You remember the letter she sent us!"

"What letter? What are you talking about?" Ron demanded.

"Dad, I sent the Malfoys a letter about Scorpius because I was worried about him! And it turns out I was right to be worried! That's why we're here. I think we should remember that and focus on Scorpius right now!" Rose said looking at each one of the grownups.

"Rose is right. We need to focus and appear as a team. As much as I hate to say this, appearances do matter in this case." Harry said sadly.

At an imploring look from his wife, Draco Malfoy sighed and stuck out his hand to Rose's father. "Well, Weasley. What do you say to a truce? For the sake of the trial and the sake of our children?" Draco asked.

Ron shook Draco's hand and smirked. "I'll agree to that Malfoy. For the sake of the trial and our children. This doesn't mean that I like you though."

"I wouldn't want it any other way Weasley." Draco drawled back.

* * *

"Rose, I'm nervous! What if they don't believe me?" a slightly hysterical Scorpius asked Rose.

"Scorpius Malfoy. Look at me. You'll be fine. We believe you! We all have your back. My Mom assured me that you will receive nothing but a fair trial!" Rose said to reassure Scorpius.

"Stop talking, the trial is about to begin!" Hermione said to the whispering Rose and Scorpius.

And so the trial began. First Al was called up to the stand, then Rose. Both were questioned by Hermione, and Monroe's Defense Attorney, Robinson. By the time it was Scorpius' turn, everyone was confident that the trial would go in Scorpius' favor.

Then it was Scorpius' turn to be questioned. Rose watched as he answered every single one of her mother's questions in a calm and concise matter. Rose was pleased to note that Scorpius did not appear to be the least bit nervous, like he was before the trial started. Rose did become nervous when it was Scorpius' turn to be questioned by Robinson.

"What is your position on Blood Purity?" Robinson asked. "Be mindful that you're under the influence of Veritaserum.

"Blood Status means nothing to me. My best friends are Rose Weasley and Albus Potter, and they're Half-Bloods. Rose's mother is a Muggle-Born, and she's one of the nicest people I know." Scorpius replied truthfully.

While Robinson did appear slightly taken aback by Scorpius' reply, he decided to continue in his line of questioning. "Did your mother and father ever teach you about the Dark Arts?" Robinson asked.

"Objection! How does this question relate to the case?" Hermione demanded.

"Sustained. Please move on to your next question."

After that, Robinson's questions went downhill. He was unable to think of any questions outside of the ones he had already made.

Then it was Monroe's turn to be questioned.

Hermione made her way up to the stand and looked Monroe in the eye. He would pay for what he did to her daughter and her friend. As Hermione continued in her line of questioning, Monroe's chances of looking innocent dwindled significantly.

"Why did you attack Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"Because his grandfather killed my uncle and his family for not believing in Pureblood superiority. And because it was my job." Monroe replied under the Veritaserum.

Monroe's last statement through everyone in the courtroom for a loop.

"What do you mean it was your job?" The head of the Wizengamot asked.

"The Brotherhood assigned me that job. I was to make the Malfoy family pay by targeting the heir to the bloodline." Monroe answered.

"And who is the Brotherhood?" the head asked.

"They're a… group. Of sorts. We have… get togethers. We… talk." Monroe seemed to be struggling to find the words.

"How many people are in the Brotherhood?" the head asked.

"The true number is unknown. We tell by our marking." Monroe stated.

"And what marking is that?" the head asked.

"This." And with that Monroe stood up and took off his shirt. On his chest was a tattoo of two hands with two swords joined together at the top. "That is how you know you're part of the Brotherhood. We have plans. We'll make the guilty pay. We're going to-" Monroe suddenly stopped talking and began gasping for air. It was like an invisible hand was choking the life out of him.

The courtroom exploded. Harry and Ron were running towards the stand to get Monroe while Hermione, Ginny, and Astoria were trying to shield the children's eyes from the sight of the dying boy. The only one who wasn't doing anything was Draco Malfoy. He was standing stock still in the middle of the court room with wide eyes and an expression of shock on his face.

As he looked upon the dead body of Jackson Monroe, he said, "So it's true. The Brotherhood really does exist."

* * *

**Please Review :)**

It seems we have a new mystery on our hands!

Next chapter will be the start of the trio's second year!


	5. OF KNOWLEDGE AND SPYING

**Everything belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling**

* * *

It was the last week of the summer holidays before school started, and Rose Weasley and Albus Potter were spending it by honing their Quidditch skills at the Burrow. Rose and Al, being the traditional Ravenclaws, had finished their school work during the first two weeks of summer vacation while the rest of the Potter and Weasley family had waited until now to even crack open their school books.

"Al! How was my time?" an out of breath Rose asked as she came to a stop at the end of the new and improved Quidditch pitch.

"Wow Rose! That was your best time yet! You dodged all of those hoops and bludgers in 45 seconds! You're new Lightning Bolt is truly amazing! You'll have no problem outlying the rest of the chasers at tryouts!" Al said.

"You really think so? I hope I become the new chaser! There's only one spot though… Wouldn't it be great if me, you, and Scorp all got on the team? I'd be the chaser, you'd be the keeper, and Scorp would be the beater!" Rose yelled excitedly.

Al was about to respond when something over Rose's shoulder caught his eye. "Hey Rosie? I don't know about you, but those two flying specks look like the school owls!"

"What?!" Rose screeched as she spun around to see for herself. "Omg, Al! Our exam scores are in! Race ya to the front door!" Rose challenged.

"You're on!" Al said.

And with that both Rose and Al were hurtling towards the ground at the fastest speed their brooms would go. It was no wonder that Hermione started screaming at them the minute they pulled to a stop.

"ROSE NYMPHADORA WEASLEY AND ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER! NEVER LET ME CATCH YOU PULLING SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

"We wouldn't let you catch us." Al mumbled under his breath.

"Mum! Our exam results are coming!" Rose exclaimed.

As soon as she said that the two barn owls swooped in through the open window in the kitchen. Both owls had official letters attached to their legs; one for Rose Nymphadora Weasley and one for Albus Severus Potter.

"C'mon Al! Hurry up and open yours! I want to know how you did!" Rose said as she tore into her own envelope.

"Slow down there sweetheart! You'll rip your school list." Hermione chided gently. Although, she couldn't really blame Rose. She got her excitement of all things school from her.

"What's with all the ruckus?" asked a confused Ron Weasley who was followed by a sleepy looking Harry Potter.

"Mione, was that you yelling that I woke up to?" Harry asked with a yawn.

"I only yelled because our children decided it would be a fantastic idea to hurtle towards the ground at break neck speed. They could've gotten hurt!" Ron and Harry both grinned at that statement. It was so like Hermione to fret over anything having to do with brooms.

"Dad! Our school lists and exam scores came in!" said Al. "I think Rose is in shock." Al said after he glanced over at his cousin.

"Rose sweetheart? Are you ok? We'll be happy no matter what score you get." Hermione said gently.

"Knowing Rose, she probably passed all of her courses with flying colors. What do you say Rose?" Ron asked.

"Well Dad, I have to say… YOU"RE RIGHT! I passed everything. I got a special note from Headmistress McGonagall saying that I'm first in the class, and that my scores are the highest she's seen since mum was at school!" Rose finished. She was beaming ear to ear and bouncing up and down on her toes.

"Oh Rose! That's so wonderful! You're father and I couldn't be more proud of you! My smart and beautiful little girl!" Hermione cooed as she pulled Rose in for a bone crushing hug

"Mum… Can't. Breathe!" Rose wheezed.

"Congratulations Rose!" Harry said. "How did you do Al?" Harry couldn't help but notice that Al had been studying his own grades throughout Rose's announcement.

"Dad, I'm third in the class. THIRD IN THE CLASS! Rose, we're both in the top three!" Al shouted.

And then Rose and Al began to bounce around the kitchen to the amusement of all the adults present.

"Congratulations son! That is truly a remarkable accomplishment. You're better at school then I ever was." Harry told Al.

Before anyone could say anything else, they were distracted by the sound of people apparating in the back yard.

"That must be Scorp! He said he'd be back from France today, and that he'd come right over!" Rose said excitedly.

Sure enough, Scorpius and Astoria Malfoy came through the door. This wasn't an unusual sight, since Scorpius would come to Burrow to hang out with Rose, Al, and the rest of the cousins. Astoria would often accompany him and drink tea with the other mothers where they would chat about their husbands, their work, clothes, books, and anything that happened to come up. What was unusual was the fact that Draco Malfoy had come to the Burrow with his wife and son. He was usually working or had some other obligation going on at the time of his wife and son's visits.

"Hello Scorpius, Astoria. It's lovely to see you again. Draco." Harry smiled at the first two and then nodded at Draco.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, children." Draco nodded back.

While the mothers had bonded, the fathers hadn't. They were civil for the sake of their children, but they were far from friends.

"Scorp mate! How was France? Did you get your scores?" Al asked.

"France was great! And yes, I did. I'm number two in the class!" Scorp told Rose and Al proudly.

"That's great! I'm number three in the class, and Rose here is number one! We're one, two, and three!" Al joked.

"Congratulations Scorp! Maybe we can all go to Diagon Alley later this week to pick up our school supplies!" Rose suggested.

Scorpius' next comment was cut by his father's abrupt voice. After a nod from his wife, Draco looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "I really need to talk to you." Once he saw that the children were paying attention to him, he added, "In private. I'm afraid this is highly confidential. So that means no one underage can hear." Draco said looking at a curious Rose, Al, and Scorpius.

"But Dad…"

"No buts Scorpius. This is nonnegotiable. You are too young to hear this." Draco said in all seriousness.

"Kids, why don't you head upstairs and see what the others are doing." Hermione suggested.

And with that, the adults ushered the trio out and put locking spells on all the doors. This left the trio with no choice but to go upstairs as the adults wished.

* * *

"I really wish I knew what the adults are talking about down there. I can't believe my Dad sent me upstairs! He always tells me everything!" Scorpius complained to Rose and Al as they walked up the many flights of stairs.

"Wait." Rose said as she stopped outside of the bedroom that James and Fred II stayed in during the summer months. "There might be a way we can. I overheard a conversation between James and Fred last year. From what I gathered, those two have been developing new merchandise for Uncle George. He said that he wants a younger perspective. So naturally James and Fred volunteered their services." Rose explained as she knocked on their bedroom door.

"Yes?" a pair of eyes asked from behind a crack in the door.

"Fred, James. It's us. We require your, ah, services." Rose said.

"Well, if it isn't Rosie, Albie, and Scorpy! What services do you require from us?" James asked.

"Well, the adults are downstairs having a serious conversation…" Rose began.

"Ah, say no more young Rosie. We have just what you need! Fred, would you like to do the honors?" James asked as Fred disappeared back in the room.

There was a scuffling sound followed by a bang and a string of curses from Fred. It left the trio wondering just what "products" James and Fred had been making for Uncle George.

"Here it is!" Fred exclaimed as he appeared back in the doorway. "You lucky three are the first to witness our newest invention. My Dad hasn't had the pleasure of viewing it yet. We call it, The Bug." Fred said proudly as he showed the trio a small metal bug.

"You made a small, metal bug?" Al asked his brother incredulously.

"Just a bug?! You wound me Albie." James said with mock hurt as he placed his hand over his heart. "This isn't just any old bug. It's a spy bug."

James' explanation was met with blank faces which caused him to look over at Fred and sigh. "Must we explain everything Fred?"

"Apparently." Fred answered. "Ok, when we say spy bug, we mean that the bug has the ability to spy on people without them noticing. Everyone who sees it from a distance will think it's just a regular bug. It has full video and audio capabilities built in!"

"Where did you guys get the idea for a spy bug?" Scorpius asked.

"I'm glad you asked." James said. "Rose, Al, you know how Granddad Weasley has been obsessed with those old muggle films?"

"Yea, you mean the James Bond one?" Al asked.

"Yea!" Fred exclaimed. "We got the idea from all the spy gear they had in the movies! What makes it different from the muggle bugs is that it has the ability to camouflage itself whenever it feels it's being threatened."

"It also acts like a Confundus Charm!" James added. "Whenever someone comes near it, they suddenly remember that they have to do something else! It's bloody brilliant!" James exclaimed excitedly.

"How do you work it?" Rose asked as she examined the bug.

"You simply tell it what you want it to do!" Fred said.

"So all we need to do is tell the bug that we want it to spy on our parent's conversation?" Al asked skeptically.

"Yup!" Fred and James said in unison. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have to get back to work! We have some big pranks to plan!" James said with a wink before closing the door in the trio's face.

* * *

"Do you really think this'll work?" Scorp asked as he stared at the bug.

"There's really only one way to find out. Bug, go and spy on our parents!" Al said.

And with that, the bug took off scurrying across the floor and down the stairs. The trio could see everything as if they were looking through the bugs eyes.

"I don't know whether I find this cool or creepy." Al jokes.

Rose just rolled her eyes.

All of a sudden, they trio heard voices. They were muffled at first, but then became clearer as the bug traveled closer to the source. The next thing they knew, they were staring out at the room from the top of Uncle Harry's head.

"What do you mean the Brotherhood is back?" Uncle Harry asked Draco in confusion. "Do you know something about the Brotherhood? The Auror office has been looking into Monroe's untimely death, and have been investigating this so-called Brotherhood. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find anything conclusive on either accounts."

"That's because you haven't been looking in the right places." Draco replied.

"Oh, and you have?" Ron retorted skeptically.

"Actually Weasley, I have. Believe it or not, I may have found out something before the dynamic duo did." Draco sneered.

"So what did you find out?" Hermione asked before Ron could come up with a retort. She wanted to learn as much as she could about the Brotherhood. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"

"The Brotherhood is an ancient wizarding organization. They are believed to have originated during Merlin's time, but whether this is true is unknown due to the secrecy surrounding the group. What is known is that the Brotherhood always seems to appear during times of crisis and strife. Their main goal is to provide justice where they think justice is due." Draco recited.

"But I've never come across anything having to do with the Brotherhood in all of the books I've read!" Hermione exclaimed. "Where did you find this information?"

"In the Malfoy diaries." Draco replied. "That's why you've never come across them in books. My family is… private."

"Wait, the Malfoy's have diaries?" Ron asked with a chuckle.

"Ron, focus." Harry said. "And what did the diaries say about the Brotherhood?"

"Well, my family is one of the most ancient Pureblood families in history, and we have a certain set of views and traditions that have been passed down for centuries…" at this point Draco trailed off.

"What traditions?" Hermione asked genuinely interested.

"Isn't it obvious? He's talking about Pureblood superiority and the Dark Arts!" Ron said with distaste.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Don't bother Granger. Weasley's right. My family has passed down centuries of prejudice and knowledge of the darkest arts." Draco said in a tone of self-loathing. "It's no wonder my family sided with Voldemort."

"Yes, but, your son doesn't seem to have any prejudice, or any interest in the Dark Arts." Hermione replied.

"That's because I didn't want him to turn up like I did." Draco said. "Anyways, my family would write about the Brotherhood because they were always fighting against them. When the Malfoys supported all of the muggle wars while the Brotherhood tried to stop them."

"So, the Brotherhood are the good guys." Ron said.

"Ron, how can you call the Brotherhood good? They sent an agent who wasn't more than a kid himself out to hurt an innocent boy! That doesn't scream out good for me." Hermione said.

"The Brotherhood operates based on what they think justice is. They aren't above using violence, intimidation, or bribery to get what they want. I'm guessing that the Brotherhood saw the whole war as unjust, not just the ideas of Pureblood superiority. They want to punish those that they believe had a major part in starting the war. And unfortunately, my family and I did have a large part in the war." Draco said.

"And how does this affect us?" Ron asked confused.

"I believe that the Brotherhood wouldn't stop until they've destroyed the source. And by source I mean those whose ideas lead to the rise of Voldemort." Draco explained.

"But that's thousands of people! Even if they weren't apart of the war, there are still those who believe that Purebloods have a higher standing than muggle borns!" Harry exclaimed.

"I know, that's what I wanted to tell you. I think that many people, aside from my family are going to be in danger. You're probably in danger. I wouldn't put it past the Brotherhood to start a war of attrition." Draco said.

"Why would we be in danger?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Well, for one, your children are best friends with my son. Second, you were all seen at the trial. The Brotherhood probably thinks you're all traitors for befriending and helping out my family." Draco said ruefully.

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU MALFOYS WEREN'T ANY GOOD! THAT'S IT, MY DAUGHTER AND FAMILY WILL HAVE NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH YOURS. NOW GET OUT OF MY FAMILY'S HOUSE! a scared and angry Ron Weasley screamed at a startled Draco and Astoria.

Suddenly another figure appeared on the scene. Rose Weasley stood in front of her father, teary eyed and out of breath. Al and Scorp looked around startled. They hadn't even noticed Rose had left.

"Rosie! What are you doing here? I thought your mum told you to go upstairs." Ron said.

"I'm here because I heard everything you said! How can you kick Scorp and his family out! You're the one who should leave if you're going to act all prejudicial. You're acting worse than Draco sounded in all of the stories that you told me from when you were a kid! Grow UP Dad!" Rose said in tears.

A stunned Ron Weasley turned to his wife for help, but recoiled when he saw the glare Hermione was giving him. That's when he knew that he had messed up big time.

"Rose, no one is leaving." Hermione said while trying to calm her daughter down. "Your father is just scared and upset. Sometimes people say things they don't mean when they're feeling insecure. Your father will apologize to the Malfoys, and he will be sleeping on the couch for two weeks as punishment." Hermione said in a tone that would hold no arguments.

"Ermm, right." Ron said ashamedly. "I'm sorry, Draco, Astoria. What I was was out of line. I apologize." Ron said sincerely to the Malfoys. "And, Rosie, I'm so sorry. The last thing I ever wanted to do was make you cry." Ron said as he stooped down to Rose's level.

"It's ok Dad. I'm sorry too. Just don't do that again. Scorp is my best friend!" Rose said from her mother's arms.

"Rose, what did you mean when you said that you heard everything we said?" Uncle Harry asked.

"Well, uh, you see…" Rose stammered.

"It's not just Rose who heard. We heard it too." Scorpius said as he walked in the room closely followed by Albus.

Rose glanced at her saviors gratefully

"Actually, I'm curious to know how you heard everything too. And why you disobeyed an order." Draco said looking his son in the eye.

Scorpius lowered his head in shame. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his Dad. Not after everything he'd done for him.

"Albus?" Harry asked.

"It was the spy bug that James and Fred invented!" Al said. He didn't do well under pressure. Especially when it came from his Dad.

"I see." Harry said. "James, Fred, come down here please!" Harry yelled up the stairs.

Everyone could hear the thumps and stomps as James and Fred ran down the stairs. No one ignored Uncle Harry, especially when he used his Auror voice.

"You called Dad?" James asked as they entered the room.

"Yes. What's this I've heard about a spy bug?" Harry asked putting emphasis on the last two words.

"You told?!" James accused Al who was attempting to hide behind Scorpius.

"It doesn't matter who told James. I just want to know where this bug is and what it does. Oh, and why you and Fred invented it." Harry said.

"Oh, well, as for where it is, it's on top of your head!" Fred said as he pointed to the top of Harry's head to where the camouflaged bug was located.

Harry reached up and pulled the bug out of his hair. It immediately changed color to match his skin.

"And what does the bug do? Besides change colors." Harry asked.

"It allows you to spy on people. It doesn't matter if you put locking and silencing charms around the room. The bug isn't a person, so it doesn't affect it. The bug basically allows the owner to see and hear everything that's going on in the room the bug is in." James explained.

"And why did you invent the bug?"

"It's for my Dad's shop. He wants something new and improved. We thought about improving the extendable ears, but then we saw the James Bond movies Granddad always watches, and well, you know the rest." Fred rambled on.

"And why did you give it to these three?" Harry asked.

"They wanted to hear what you guys were saying after you kicked them out! And, we needed to test the product, which we're happy to report, works! Uncle George will love it!" James said gleefully.

"Yes, well, no more giving anything away without permission." Harry told his son and nephew.

"So… We're not in trouble?" James asked.

"No. You're not. This is after all extraordinary magic for fourth years… If George doesn't invest in these, then the Auror department will. These could really come in handy." Harry said.

James and Fred left as soon as they learned that they would be receiving no punishment. This left, Rose, Al, and Scorpius with all of the adults.

"Will we be getting punished Dad?" Al asked uncertainly.

"No, you wouldn't be getting punished." Harry sighed as he ran his hand over his face. "But I will be taking your bug away. And, you must all promise me that you will repeat what you heard to no one. This is of the utmost importance." Harry said as he looked the trio in the eyes.

"We promise." They all said.

"Good, now go outside and enjoy the rest of your day. The only thing you should be worried about is school starting in a few days!" Harry called after the retreating children.

* * *

**Please Review! **I want to know what you guys think of the story so far, and if you'd like to see anything in particular happen.

Next chapter will be their second year of school.


	6. OF RESEARCH AND FEELINGS

**J.K. Rowling is my queen**

* * *

The sun was setting behind Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the last rays could been seen sliding over the tables in the library. Sitting at the back in the far corner were three children, all with different appearances. One boy had jet black hair and vivid green eyes which contrasted sharply with the other boy's pale blond hair and icy blue eyes. The third child was a girl with long, flaming red hair and striking eyes the color of the ocean. All three could barely be seen behind the towers of books on their table.

"ARGHHH, this is hopeless! We've been researching this since three months ago at the start of term!" an aggravated Albus Potter said to his cousin Rose and best friend Scorp.

"Al! Be quiet! Or else Madam Pince will-" Rose was interrupted by a loud "shhhh!" from the school librarian, Madam Pince.

"Al's right Rose. It's been three months. We still haven't found anything new about the you-know-what." Scorpius whispered to a disgruntled Rose.

"We need to keep trying! There has to be something. This library is huge!" Rose said. She couldn't believe that they hadn't found any single mention of the wizarding organization known as the Brotherhood. If they had been around since Merlin, then there should be some hints as to their doings somewhere!

"Yea, well, our private library is bigger." Scorpius said.

"That's it! Scorp you're a genius!" Rose said suddenly excited.

Scorpius had to smile at that. If anyone was the genius of the group, it was Rose. "Thanks, but why am I a genius?" a smiling Scorpius said.

"Because you said that the library at Malfoy manor is bigger than the library at Hogwarts!" Rose exclaimed.

"So…" Scorp said as he exchanged a glance with Al.

"So, this means that we should be looking in Malfoy manor! We're so stupid! Your father told my mother that she had been looking in the wrong place at the Burrow! Ugh! We've been looking in the wrong place too! Besides, your Dad found the diaries at the manor library!" Rose exclaimed. She was starting to beat herself up for not realizing that they were wasting their time earlier.

"Actually, my Dad found those diaries in the vault in his study." Scorpius said.

"So this means that the library is open for grabs!" Rose said excited once more.

"Rose, you're talking about Scorp's family library. I'm sure his father, mother, and your mother have already combed through it by now. Not to mention our fathers." Al said.

"It doesn't matter! We're young, they're old. They might have missed something! It's our duty to double check!" Rose said dismissively.

"I don't know Rose…"

"Oh come on Al! Where's your sense of adventure?" Rose teased her cousin.

"Rose, you're forgetting something."

"What am I forgetting Al?" Rose asked puzzled. She thought she had thought of everything.

"You need Scorp to agree to let you into his house so you can go and raid his library!" Al said.

Rose turned to look at Scorpius who was glaring at Albus for bringing that point up. Scorp turned back to Rose to be met with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. He couldn't help but be drawn into them. And before he knew it, he had agreed to let Al and Rose come to the manor for the Christmas holidays, which were only a couple weeks away.

"Ha, I guess I should've warned you about Rose's puppy dog face. I swear it would melt even the coldest soul." Al said as he slapped Scorpius on the back.

"Yea, you really should have." Scorpius replied distractedly. He was too busy looking at a triumphant Rose.

* * *

"Wow! This place is huge!" Al said in awe as soon as they walked into the Malfoy family library. "I can't believe this is your family's private collection!"

Scorpius chuckled at the awestruck look on his best friend's face. "Our library is so big because every Malfoy is a secret bookworm at heart. My father loves to read." Scorpius said.

"Yes, I do love to read." Draco Malfoy said from behind the trio. All three of them jumped because they had believed that they were the only ones on that side of the manor.

"Dad, what're you doing here?" Scorpius attempted in what he hoped was an innocent enough book.

"I'm here to choose a book to take to bed." Draco replied with a raised eyebrow. "I think the question is what you guys are doing out of bed this late at night." Draco challenged.

"We were just looking to see if your library really was bigger than the one at Hogwarts. Scorpius told us it was, but Al and I didn't believe him." Rose answered hurriedly when it was apparent that Scorpius wasn't going to.

"Oh, well, as it is larger than the one at Hogwarts. By around 2,000 books, I do believe." Draco said. "You should all head to bed, the library will be here in the morning."

And with that, Draco turned to walk away.

"I thought you were picking out a book!" Al called after him.

"I changed my mind." Draco replied. "As I hope you will. Leave the investigating to the adults."

"Do you think he knows?" Al whispered as Draco disappeared around a corner.

"I think he knows." Rose and Scorpius said in unison.

* * *

"So now what do we do?" Al asked as soon as they were back in Scorpius' room. "If he knows, he's bound to be keeping a close eye on us."

"What we need is a plan." Rose said. She loved making plans. "Scorp, what are your mother and father's daily schedules?"

"Well, mother usually does charity work. And father works in his office or goes abroad to keep the company going… But I think that they're both home this week since it's the holidays. They'll be around the manor all week." Scorpius replied.

"Ok, so we'll need to create a diversion." Rose said. "And I know who can help us."

"What's the plan?" Al asked.

"You'll see come morning." Rose said mischievously before walking across the hallway to her room.

"Girls." Al said to a nodding Scorpius.

* * *

"Scorp! Wake up!"

"Grmmm. Go away!"

Rose Weasley was an early riser. It was apparent that Scorpius Malfoy was not when he didn't need to be. Rose stood beside Scorpius' bed thinking of how to wake him up. Then, without further ado, Rose Weasley jumped on top of a sleeping Scorpius.

"AHHHHHH!" Scorpius yelled as he tried to buck whoever had landed on top of him off. He calmed down and stopped as soon as he heard the familiar giggle.

"Rose! It's seven in the morning! It's the holidays! Why did you wake me up?" an adorably disheveled Scorpius demanded from the giggling Rose.

Before Rose could answer, Al came into the room rubbing his eyes. "Whas goin on?" Al said on a yawn.

"I'll tell you what's going on! You're crazy cousin just jumped on me while I was asleep!" Scorpius told the still sleepy Al. Unfortunately, he was now wide awake.

Al just shrugged his shoulders. He was used to Rose Weasley's method of waking people up. He was just glad it didn't happen to him this morning.

"So what's our plan?" Al asked an annoyed Scorpius.

"I don't know. Ask her." Scorpius replied pointing to the still giggling Rose.

"I'm sorry… But did you see your face?!" Rose asked as she tried to collect herself.

Al and Scorp exchanged another look that meant that girls were crazy.

"The, the plan is…" Rose had to stop to take a few deep breaths. "The plan is that we have no plan."

Al and Scorp stared at Rose like she had lost her mind.

"Umm, Rose? I was joking when I said you were crazy earlier, but now I'm just not sure…" Scorpius said.

Al nodded in agreement. "Seriously Rose, our plan is that we have no plan? I'm sure that will work brilliantly." Al said sarcastically.

"It will work! Just be ready to come down to breakfast in five!" Rose said offended.

Once Rose had left, Scorpius turned to Al with a questioning look.

"Don't question it. She's stubborn. She gets it from both her mum and dad." and with that Al went to go change, leaving an amused and confused Scorpius alone. If Scorpius knew anything in that moment, it would be that Rose Weasley sure was something.

* * *

When Scorpius arrived in the kitchen for breakfast, he was greeted by the sight of Rose Weasley having a serious conversation with both of his parents. Al wasn't there yet.

"Ah, Scorpius, so glad you could join us. Rose, your mother, and I were just talking about last night." At Scorpius' confused look, Draco elaborated. "I know that you weren't just heading to the library to compare its size Scorpius." Draco said tiredly. "Rose just confirmed to your mother and I that you were planning on researching the Brotherhood."

"Err, she did?" Scorpius asked nervously. He glanced at Rose who was telling him to play along with her eyes.

"Yes she did. I thought I had told you that you should leave this to us. You should be focusing on school, not on something that doesn't concern you." Draco told Scorpius as he sat down.

Conversation was halted momentarily as an out of breath Albus Potter ran into the kitchen. "Sorry… I got lost!" Al managed to pant out.

"It's ok dear. We just started breakfast a few moments ago. You didn't miss much." Astoria said kindly.

"But Mr. Malfoy, this does concern us. We heard what you said to our parents. You said that they would be in danger because they helped you out! We want to know about the Brotherhood so that we can be prepared!" Rose said in what Al and Scorp called her you can't resist my charm voice.

Rose's charm had obviously worked on Mr. Malfoy as well. He put his fork down and sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything!" Rose said enthusiastically.

"The Brotherhood is currently underground planning. The only reason we found out about them is because Monroe was put under Veritaserum during the trial. They're being extra careful to stay elusive now. We really don't know anything new." Draco said apologetically.

"Oh." Rose said disappointed. She was hoping that she could sweet talk Mr. Malfoy into letting something slip, but it seemed that there really wasn't anything to tell.

Upon seeing Rose's disappointed look, Draco looked up towards the ceiling. "If you were to happen across something in the library, that would be entirely your business. I will not ban you from the library since I'm sure you'll want to study and do your work." Draco said.

Scorpius couldn't believe it. Rose had gotten his father to inadvertently let them look up information on the Brotherhood in the library! Rose Weasley truly was amazing.

* * *

Rose, Al, and Scorpius were in Potions two months after the holidays brewing a simple cure for the common cold. Well, that's what they were supposed to be doing anyways. Instead of paying attention to their brewing potion, the trio were talking about all they had learned over break about the Brotherhood. Unfortunately, it wasn't as much as they had hoped.

"It just doesn't make sense!" Rose complained as she furiously stirred their potion. "How can an organization that causes so much chaos be present for a decade and then suddenly disappear?!"

Rose was talking about the story they had heard back in the 1600s in America. Most muggles knew about the Salem Witch Trials, but what they didn't know was that the witch hysteria that killed so many innocent muggles was started by actual witches. Those witches were a part of the Brotherhood, and they were angry at the muggles for persecuting witches for so many years. So, they decided to create their own form of justice by making the American muggles turn against each other through what they feared the most. But, the witches in the Brotherhood disappeared almost as soon as they had appeared. And in ten years, the major crisis had passed, and the Brotherhood had once again disappeared. That was one of the only solid evidence of the Brotherhood's doings. Everything else was rumor and hearsay.

"Umm, Rose? I think you've stirred the potion enough." Al said as he glanced in their cauldron. The potion which was supposed to be a pleasant pink color was instead an acrid yellow.

"Oh no!" Rose exclaimed looking at the potion in alarm.

Rose exclamation alerted the elderly Professor Slughorn. As he approached the trio's cauldron, a look of surprise crossed his face. Rose, Al, and Scorpius were the top students in their year. It was unheard of for them to make a mistake, much less on such a simple draught.

"What happened here?" Slughorn asked genuinely concerned.

"I'm sorry sir. I got distracted and stirred to many times!" Rose said. She was close to tears. She never messed up this badly in class!

"That's ok my dear. If it is simply a case of one to many stirs, the potion should be easy enough to fix. Do you know how to fix it?" Slughorn asked.

Rose was stumped! She should know this! As Rose was flipping through all the books in his head, Scorpius answered Slughorn's question.

"The potion calls for seven stirs clockwise, and Rose did about five extra stirs. So wouldn't the solution be to stir counterclockwise for five stirs?" Scorpius asked.

"That's correct my boy! Five points to Ravenclaw!" Slughorn said before going to check on another group.

Rose looked at Scorpius amazed. "How did you know that? I didn't even know that?" Rose exclaimed.

"Don't worry, it wasn't in a book." Scorpius said because he knew Rose was worried that she had missed something. "It's logic."

"Impressive Scorp." Al said as he let out a low impressed whistle.

Rose could only nod in agreement.

"What?" Scorpius asked when he realized that Rose was still looking at him.

"Nothing!" Rose said quickly. She let her hair fall into her face as she tried to hide her blush. Scorpius just shrugged, and went to fix the potion. Al looked between his cousin and best friend, and wondered if there was something he was missing.

* * *

"Thank God it's summer!" Al exclaimed as he plopped down in the train compartment that Rose and Scorpius had found. "Was it just me, or were exams harder this year than they were last year?"

"Well, we just finished our second year Al. Naturally the exams would be harder than they were during first year." Rose told her cousin dramatically.

Albus' retort was cut off when Mei Corner opened their carriage door. "Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Mei asked, determinedly not looking in Albus' direction.

"Sure, you can sit next to me!" Al said, oblivious to Mei's blush.

Scorpius and Rose glanced at each other. Rose had talked to Mei this year about her cousin Albus. Mei had quietly told Rose about how she had had a crush on Albus since the first time she saw him during the feast. When Rose asked why she hadn't told her, she had said that she didn't want to ruin their friendship by liking her cousin. Rose then assured her that their friendship wouldn't be ruined, and that she thought Mei was a good match for her cousin. The two friends had then laughed and embraced.

"Scorp, did your parents answer you about being able to stay at the Burrow this summer?" Al asked Scorpius.

"Oh yea! I forgot to tell you that my family and I will be going to France for the whole summer. We're staying with my Aunt Daphne and Uncle Blaise. I wouldn't be back until September 1st!" Scorpius said apologetically when he saw Rose and Al's disappointed looks.

"You mean we wouldn't be able to see you at all this summer?" Rose asked sadly.

"Yea, I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you. It just slipped my mind because of exams. I'll write every week though, and we'll be able to sit on together on the train ride back!" Scorpius said.

"Oh, ok." Rose said uncharacteristically quiet. Scorpius either didn't notice, or didn't let on that he had noticed, since he was busy playing a game of exploding snap with Albus.

Upon seeing Mei reading a novel, Rose turned to look out the window. As she saw the countryside passing by, she tried to assure herself that the disappointment and hurt that she felt were only because Scorpius wasn't going to be around her and Al, and not because she may have been feeling feelings other than friendship towards him.

* * *

**Please Review :)**

This chapter doesn't have as much action as the other ones. I wanted to tackle second year in one chapter so that I could move on to their third year. The Scorose will build slowly, but I wanted them to be older before they began to have feelings for each other. One will realize their feelings first, while the other will be in denial thinking that they like someone else. Want to guess who? ;)

The Brotherhood will remain in the background until around fifth year. Then they'll start to move towards the open. By then Rose, Al, and Scorp will know enough magic to possibly fight if they need to :P


	7. OF JEALOUSY AND QUIDDITCH

**J.K. Rowling is sole owner of all things Harry Potter**

* * *

Rose Weasley was bouncing on the train seat across from her cousin, Albus Potter. Al could tell that she was excited. Heck, he was excited too. This was the first time they'd see their shared best friend, Scorpius Malfoy, since the end of the school year. He'd been in France all summer, and Rose and Al had missed him terribly. Nothing was the same without Scorpius.

Suddenly, the compartment opened and Scorpius entered. Rose couldn't help but notice that Scorpius had grown taller. He and Al were now a full head taller than she was! It was so unfair. Hugo had got all of the height in the family. Rose took after her mother in height. While she had grown a few inches over the summer, it just didn't compare to Al and Scorp's massive growth spurt.

"Why do you have your pouty face on Rose?" Scorpius asked. "This wasn't the reaction I was expecting after not seeing you for a month." Scorpius joked.

"I'm not pouting." Rose pouted.

Scorpius cocked his eyebrow at Al. Rose couldn't help but notice that Scorpius was really good looking. She had always thought he was cute, but wow. This summer had certainly been nice to him. His features were coming in quite nicely. Girls would start flocking to him- Rose mentally growled at that thought.

"Rosie is just upset that we got tall while she stayed short." Al explained.

Scorpius started laughing. Then Al started laughing. Soon the boys were rolling around the compartment floor holding each other up as they continuously laughed.

Rose was not amused. But she was saved from her embarrassment of being so easy to read by the arrival of Mei. Mei had grown over the summer too. She, Rose, and Al had hung out a lot this summer, and had become good friends. Mei was now an official part of the crew.

Upon seeing Mei, Al immediately stopped laughing. Al nudged Scorpius to get him to stop laughing so they could let Mei into the compartment.

"Hi Mei." Scorpius said. "How was your summer?"

"Mine was lovely. I hung out with Rose and Albus a lot. It was obvious they missed you." Mei said when Scorp's face became a bit shuttered. She didn't want Scorpius to think Rose and Al were replacing him with her. "How was your summer?"

"My summer was good! I hung out with my cousins, and this girl Katia… She was really something. She was nice, and a good kisser." Scorpius said with a smile as he remembered his time in France.

Scorpius came to when he realized everyone was staring at him. Mei looked surprised, Al looked shocked, and Rose looked angry. He could understand the first two reactions, since he hadn't told anyone about Katia in his letters, but what he didn't understand was Rose's anger. If anything, he thought she'd be happy for him getting his first kiss. They were best friends after all.

"What?" Scorpius asked.

"Nothing!" Al said quickly while he and Mei glanced at Rose. Rose was looking at the scenery through the window.

Now Scorpius was confused. He felt as though he were missing out on something big. In an attempt to get out of the awkward silence he'd gotten himself into, Scorpius asked the first thing that popped into his mind. "So, do you guys know what subjects you're going to choose?"

Rose, Scorp, Al, and Mei were starting their third year at Hogwarts. This year they were able to choose three extra classes of their choice to take.

"I'm going to take Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes." Mei said.

"I'll be taking Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, and Divination." Al said.

This seemed to snap Rose out of her musings, much to Scorpius' relief.

"Why on earth are you taking Divination Al?!" Rose asked incredulous. She had heard of Divination from her mother, and it sounded like absolute baloney in her opinion.

"Dad and Uncle Ron said it would be an easy grade. All you have to do is make stuff up." Al said shrugging.

Rose just rolled her eyes.

"What're you taking Rose?" Scorp asked.

"The same as Mei." Rose said without looking at him.

This bothered Scorpius. He and Rose were best friends, and now she wouldn't even look at him. He didn't know what he had done to make her mad.

And, so Scorpius, Al, and Mei all talked while Rose kept her silence until the train reached Hogwarts.

* * *

It was the start of the sorting ceremony, and Rose was watching anxiously. This would be the year that her brother Hugo, and her younger cousin Lily would be sorted. They were the youngest of the bunch. After them, everyone would either be in Hogwarts, or already out of it.

Rose and Al watched as a nervous Lily Luna Potter was called to the stool. The hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!" as soon as it touched her head. Lily made her way over to the Gryffindor table with a look of immense relief on her face. James was there to welcome his sister to the table with open arms.

Now it was Hugo's turn to be sorted. Rose secretly hoped that Hugo would be in Ravenclaw with her, but apparently the sorting hat had other plans. Hugo too was sorted into Gryffindor to be with the rest of the Weasley-Potter clan.

After the feast, the four friends walked up to their dormitories. All Rose could think about was her beautiful blue and bronze four poster bed.

"Rose can I talk to you for a minute?" Al asked before Rose could make her escape.

"Can't it wait until morning?" Rose asked wearily.

"No, it can't." Al said as he glanced at a visibly upset Scorpius who was making his way to their dorm. "It's about Scorpius and why you've been ignoring him the whole day. This isn't like you Rose. Scorpius is feeling hurt, and he doesn't know what he's done wrong."

Rose sighed. "I didn't want to hurt him Al. I guess I was just thrown for a loop when he said that he had been hanging out with this girl Katia, and that they had kissed! We're only 13! And he's already had his first kiss. I just don't see why he wouldn't have told us!" Rose said. It was obvious that she was very upset about this new development with her friend.

"Some things are meant to be private. Scorp did tell us, when he was ready to." Al said consolingly. "Besides, I don't think that Scorp not telling us about Katia is what's really bothering you." Al said while looking Rose in the eye.

Sometimes she hated how close she and Al were. Al could always tell when she wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Are you jealous?" Al asked.

"I don't know Al. Lately I've been thinking about Scorpius a lot…" Rose trailed off lost in thought.

Do you… like Scorpius?" Al asked. He wasn't as surprised as he thought he'd be. The three of them were best friends, and they hung out all the time. And, even Al had noticed that Scorpius was getting taller and more handsome as the years went by. If he noticed, then Rose definitely had noticed.

Rose blushed. "I don't know. Maybe. I've never had a crush on anyone before, so I'm not sure if what I'm feeling for Scorpius is anything like that!" Rose said.

"Well, whatever you're feeling, shouldn't make you want to ignore Scorpius. It's not fair to either of you. You're best friends. You should continue to be there for each other, and let whatever feelings there may be happen naturally." Al said. "I expect you to be nice and talk to Scorpius tomorrow." Al added before heading up to the boy's dorms.

As Rose got ready for bed that night, she couldn't help but think that Albus really did belong in Ravenclaw. He could be very insightful when he chose to be.

* * *

"Alright! Welcome to the tryouts for the Ravenclaw team!" The new Quidditch captain, Josh Michelson told the hopeful new recruits. "We have three new openings this year. One for chaser, one for keeper, and one for a beater. Can I have the chasers up first please? We'll start with doing laps around the pitch, then we'll do some exercises to see how you are with the quaffle. Those who pass to the next round will play a mock game." Michelson instructed.

Scorpius and Al watched as Rose took to the sky on her Lightning Bolt. The trio were excited that they finally would have a chance at making their house's Quidditch team. They had wanted to try out last year, but there was only a spot for the seeker, and none of them played that position. But this year, there were more spots open, and they were determined to try out.

"Rose is really good!" Scorpius said to Al as he watched Rose outfly all of her competition. He was really happy that Rose was talking to him again, even if he didn't understand why she had stopped in the first place.

"Yea, we practiced all last summer." Al said as Rose was one of two cleared to go to the next round.

"Alright! I need my hopeful keepers!" Michelson yelled.

Al flew up to the hoops. He saved every single shot that Michelson shot at him, even the last trick shot. Al couldn't help but be pleased as he was cleared to go to the next round.

Then, it was the beaters turn to tryout. Rose and Al watched as Scorpius hit bludger after bludger at the chasers, each one making its intended target. It was no surprise that Scorpius was cleared for the next round as well.

Rose, Al, and Scorpius were placed in a group for their mock game. They would be playing with the team members from last year. All of them were confident in their own abilities and with each other. They had been playing together for the past two years, after all.

After the half-day of tryouts, Michelson called all of the hopefuls to the side of the Quidditch pitch. "You all did very well today, and you should all be proud. Ravenclaw has some pretty remarkable Quidditch players." Michelson said looking at everyone. "But, there really was no doubt in my mind that Rose Weasley, Albus Potter, and Scorpius Malfoy are the ones who will be on the Quidditch team this year. Better luck next year!" Michelson said to everyone else.

Rose, Al, and Scorpius followed Michelson to the team locker room where they were congratulated by the rest of the team. The trio met their team's seeker, Anna Porter, the other beater, Simon Alexander, and the last chaser, Andrew Thomas. Once introductions were done, Michelson led the trio to the back where they received their Quidditch jerseys and robes.

As the trio left the locker room, they couldn't help but grin at each other. They couldn't wait to write home to their families.

* * *

The last Quidditch game of the reason was Gryffindor v Ravenclaw. Or the Potter-Weasley Quidditch team v the Ravenclaws. Ironically, the whole Gryffindor team consisted entirely of Weasleys and Potters. Louis was the team Capitan and chaser. James and Fred were the beaters. Molly was the keeper, and Roxanne was the seeker. Although first years, Lily and Hugo had been pulled up from the reserved when the two other chasers on the team came down with a bad case of dragon pox. It was going to be the game of that everyone remembered.

"Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are tied with 180 points each!" Elise Jordan commented from the box. "I have never seen a more equally matched team play against each other before. I hate to say this, but winning will come down to who catches the snitch first! Oh, and I think they've both spotted it!"

Sure enough, Roxanne and Anna were both racing towards the snitch. Roxanne was slightly ahead of Anna, but Anna was slowly catching up.

"Ouch, that has got to hurt!" Jordan said as she referred to the bludger that had just hit Roxanne in the head. "RAVENCLAW WINS! I give you our newest school champions!"

The Ravenclaw stands exploded in excitement and glee while the Gryffindors all groaned. This was the first time that Gryffindor had lost the Quidditch cup since Teddy Lupin had first come to Hogwarts.

The whole team flew at Scorpius and descended as one to the bottom of the pitch. Rose flung herself at Scorpius and gave him a big congratulations hug. As they locked eyes, Rose noticed that her heart was beating loudly and quickly. It was then that Rose Weasley realized that she had a crush on her best friend.

* * *

"It's summerrrrrrr!" Al screamed as he made his way off the Hogwarts express to the amusement of everyone present. Albus Potter was a boy who loved summer.

"Mum, Dad can Scorp stay with us this summer?" Al asked.

"If it's alright with his parents." Ginny replied.

"My father said it was alright. My mum and him are going on a couple's cruise, and then to France, so they gave me the green light." Scorpius said.

"WHOOO!" Al yelled as he fist pumped the air.

"This means that we'll actually be able to see you this summer!" Rose exclaimed excitedly. "Although, wouldn't Katia miss you?" Rose asked rather darkly.

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at that question. Katia and he had a fling last summer. They didn't intend to see each other every again as she was an American witch who was just in France for that one summer. Scorpius didn't know where Rose had got the notion that he and Katia had a thing for each other.

"No, considering Katia's from America, and was only in France for that one summer." Scorp said amused.

"Oh." Rose said as she blushed the famous Weasley blush.

Scorpius had to laugh at that. Girls. They were so bloody confusing! But if there was one thing he knew, it would be that this would be a fun summer.

* * *

**Please review :)**

So third year is done! Now it's on to fourth year. I've decided to move the Brotherhood up to the end of fourth year. I wanted to keep this story moving along. I don't want to it get boring.


	8. OF REALIZATIONS AND TRAUMATIC EVENTS

I would like to send a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story! It means so much to hear your comments and what you have to say :)

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator of the Harry Potter series**

* * *

Diagon Alley was always busy. After the war, everyone came together to help repair, refurnish, and reimburse those whose shops had closed or been destroyed. New shops had been added, and the Diagon Alley was more popular than ever.

"Ok, I think that's everything." an exhausted Rose said to an equally exhausted Al and Scorpius.

The trio had just finished purchasing all of the school supplies that they'd need for their upcoming fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"I'm parched." Al said. "Let's go and get some ice cream."

As the trio sat eating their cones, they were approached by a group of giggling girls. The girls kept on giggling and nudging each other and whispering behind their hands. Rose, Al, and Scorp all exchanged confused glances with each other.

Finally, one girl decided to introduce herself. Rose couldn't help but notice that she was really pretty, and that she was eyeing Scorpius in a way that Rose certainly did not like.

"Hi! My name is Melissa, and these are my friends Jessica and Stacie." Melissa said pointing to the girls behind her.

"Hi. I'm Al. That's my cousin Rose, and our best friend Scorp." Al said.

"I've heard all about you two! You guys are on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Quite the young stars, if you ask me." Melissa said while winking at a blushing Scorpius.

Rose did not like this one bit. One minute the three of them were by themselves having a wonderful time, and the next minute Al and Scorp were going out of their way to impress the first girls that walked into the room. As the girls pulled up chairs, Rose couldn't help but feel as if she were being cut out of the conversation.

"I'm going to get another scoop of ice cream." Rose told the group. No one paid her any attention. Rose sighed and then headed towards the ice cream counter.

"Ah, Rosie! Back for another scoop?" an elderly Florean asked Rose. Florean was captured by death eaters and tortured for any information he had on Harry Potter and his friends. Instead of breaking down, Florean kept silence through two years of torture before being freed by the Order. When asked what he'd like to do after a celebration in his honor, Florean had simply replied that he'd like to go back to serving the people at Diagon Alley their ice cream. He got his wish, and Florean's ice cream parlor was the busiest joint in all of Diagon Alley.

"My friends ditched me for some girls. As soon as they came over they started ignoring me. It's like I didn't matter anymore." Rose said sadly as she watched her cousin and her crush flirt shamelessly with Melissa and her friends.

"Ah, I see." Florean said knowingly as he looked back at Rose. "Your friends are going through a stage where girls are suddenly interesting and unattainable. But, they'll come around."

"But I'm a girl too!" Rose exclaimed. "Why doesn't he look at me like he looks at them?!"

"I presume you're talking about the young blond chap, and not your cousin Al." Florean said. "My guess is that he sees you as his best friend. Maybe even a sister."

That didn't make Rose feel any better. "Well how do I change how he sees me?" Rose asked almost desperately. "I know I'm not the prettiest girl… Maybe I need to stop wearing sweatpants all the time when I'm not in uniform." Rose added.

"If you decide to change yourself, it should be because it's something you want to do. Not because some boy thinks you should. If he's worth it, he'll like you no matter what you wear." Florean told Rose seriously. "Why do you wear sweatpants anyways? Don't take this the wrong way, but you're very beautiful. You have a nice figure. It always seems like you're trying to hide it."

"It's a long story." Rose said tiredly.

"I have time to listen." Florean said.

"It's just this stupid boy at school. He started calling me ugly last year. He said my hair was an ugly color and too busy to contain. He also said that my face resembled a pizza with all the acne on it. He also said that my eyes were freaky because they're a weird shade of blue." Rose told Florean.

Florean glanced at Rose concernedly. "You don't believe what anything that boy says, do you?" Florean asked Rose.

When Rose lowered her head and didn't respond, Florean plowed on. "Rose, everyone has their awkward phase, and unfortunately, acne is a part of that. But you will grow out of it. I can already see that you're going to be a beautiful woman someday. I hope you know that." Florean told Rose seriously.

"Thanks for listening." Rose told Florean as she got up to leave.

As Rose left, Florean couldn't help but stare after her. He knew that she didn't believe what he had said. And that was extremely worrisome.

* * *

Scorpius and Al's newfound popularity only increased as the school months went on. Before Rose knew it, it was time for the team's third Quidditch game. If they won this one, then they'd be headed towards the championship for the second year running.

"Alright team! We've got this!" Michelson said before leading his team out on the pitch.

They were greeted with loud cheers from the Ravenclaw stands, and with boos from the Slytherins.

The game went surprisingly quick. Anna managed to catch the snitch within the first 15 minutes, right under the Slytherin seeker Belby's nose. Needless to say, the Slytherins were not pleased.

Ravenclaw on the other hand was ecstatic. They were going to the house cup for the second year in a row! "Party in the common room!" someone yelled.

And with that, the whole team made their way up to their common room to celebrate their victory.

* * *

Rose, Al, and Scorpius were walking around Ottery St. Catchpole. They were enjoying the bright spring weather and their Easter holidays.

"I can't believe that fourth year is almost over." Scorpius said. "It seems like almost yesterday that we were little first years!"

"I know! It's crazy to think that we'll only have three more years at Hogwarts after this year ends." Al said.

"What do you think Rose?" Scorp asked.

"Oh, so you actually remember my name?" Rose asked crossly.

Al and Scorp exchanged confused looks.

"Why wouldn't I remember your name? You're my best friend." Scorpius said confused and hurt.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed considering both of you have been spending most of your time with Melissa and her friends. Never mind Rose. She'll most likely be in the library anyways like the annoying, and pathetic bookworm she is." Rose said close to tears.

"Rose! What's wrong?" Scorpius asked concerned.

"Oh don't pretend like you care! You haven't been paying attention to me all year. So why start now!" and with that Rose took off running down the street. She didn't want to cry in front of them, especially Scorpius.

* * *

Before she knew it, Rose was lost. She had never been on this part of the town before because her parents had forbade her. Now Rose could see why. This part of town was seriously run down and neglected. Most of the buildings were broken down and rotting.

All of a sudden, Rose got a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt as if she were being watched.

"Who's there?!" Rose demanded with a shaky voice. She heard a twig snap to her right. She was about to turn around when she heard Al and Scorp shouting her name in the distance.

"Rose!"

"There you are!"

Al and Scorp ran up to her out of breath. "Why did you run off?" Al asked panting. "You could've gotten hurt!" Al said angry now that he had caught his breath.

Rose felt foolish. She had let her emotions get the best of her. She had let all of the stress and tension from Belby's comments and the hurt from having her two friends leave her behind get to her.

"I'm sorry." Rose said quietly. "I ran away because I didn't want you to see me cry."

With that, Al's expression softened. "Rose, why didn't you tell us you felt this way?"

"Because I didn't want to sound clingy, and I didn't want you to hate me for taking your attention away from the other people that wanted to hang around you guys." Rose said truthfully.

"Rose, you're my best friend." Scorpius said. He couldn't believe he had made Rose cry. "I know I haven't been acting like a good friend recently, but if you'll accept my apology, then I promise that I'll never leave you behind again." Scorpius said sincerely.

Rose was about to reply when she was interrupted by the voice of Lucius Malfoy.

"Well, now isn't this just… touching?" Lucius Malfoy sneered.

The trio whipped around in alarm. They couldn't believe their eyes. Lucius Malfoy was supposed to Azkaban. Although he had repented later in life, his crimes were too great and too serious for him to have gotten off the hook so easily. He was supposed to be in Azkaban for another five years.

"Draco, what are you doing hanging around the like's of Potter and that Mudblood Granger?" Lucius asked sneering at Rose. It was then that Rose realized that something was off about Lucius. His eyes weren't their normal color. In fact, Rose realized startled, they were pitch black. She couldn't even see his pupils.

"What are you talking about Grandfather?" Scorpius asked alarmed.

"What am I talking about?! What are you talking about!" Lucius demanded. "Come here now Draco. I shall take care of wonder boy and the Mudblood."

Scorpius tackled Lucius just as he was about to shoot a spell from his wand. Scorpius tried his best to contain his Grandfather, but he was too strong. Lucius got to his feet with murder in his eyes.

"You've gone too far Draco! And with that Lucius shot a spell towards Scorpius who was trying to get off the ground.

"NOOO!" Rose shouted as she jumped in front of Scorpius. The force of Lucius' spell shot Rose into the house behind them where she landed with a thump.

"Hey!" Al yelled as he charged at Lucius. "That's my cousin you shit-face!"

Lucius had seen him coming and shot a binding spell at Albus. Albus smashed to the ground with ropes binding him. The more he wiggled the tighter the ropes became. Al then glared at Lucius.

"Now, that Potter here is out of the way, I can finally put the Mudblood where she belongs." Lucius said as he walked to the moaning Rose.

"Leave her alone!" Scorpius said as he pointed his wand at his obviously deranged Grandfather.

"Really Draco? You're protecting a Mudblood?" Lucius sneered. "It seems that I will need to give you a harsh punishment when we go home."

"I'm not going anywhere with you! You're crazy!" Scorpius shouted.

"Don't test me boy." Lucius said dangerously. "Because you will seriously regret it."

"I don't care!" and with that, Scorpius began to duel with his Grandfather.

"Ha, is that all you've got Draco?" Lucius barked. "You're even weaker than I thought!" And with a super powerful curse, Lucius sent Scorpius hurtling into the wall next to Rose.

"Scorp! Are you ok?" Rose asked worriedly as she helped Scorpius stand up.

"Never better." Scorpius replied groaning.

"Silence!" Lucius said as he advanced towards the duo.

Scorpius instinctively stepped in front of Rose.

"Oh no you don't!" Lucius moved Scorpius to the side and put a full body bind on him so he couldn't move. "Now where were we?" Lucius asked turning back to Rose.

"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Al said. He had managed to free himself from his bonds while Lucius was fighting with Scorpius.

"How could I ever forget you Potter." Lucius said sarcastically. "No matter, I'll simply have to bond you again, only this time with tighter ropes.

Rose looked on helplessly as Albus began to duel with Lucius. She had to do something, or else Al would get hurt. She wasn't really in any position to duel. Her had was pounding, and she suspected that at least one of her ribs was broken from her flying into the wall.

Come on Rose, think! Suddenly, Rose remembered something Astoria had told her on their way to Scorpius' trial. She remembered how Astoria had used her Patronus to ask for help. Rose would have to try that. What was the spell again? Oh yes, expecto patronum. Rose remembered reading all about patronuses earlier this year when she was alone in the library. In order to produce a patronus, you need to think of your happiest memory.

Rose tried to think of her happiest memory. Merlin, her head hurt. She had to hurry, it sounded like Al was faring pretty poorly in the duel, and Scorp was no help because Rose didn't know what spell Lucius had used to bind him. It certainly wasn't Petrificus Totalis.

Scorpius. Quidditch pitch. Ravenclaw winning the Quidditch cup. Rose knew what her memory was! Expecto patronum, expecrto patronum, Rose chanted in her head over and over all the while focusing on her memory. At first only silver whisps appeared, but on her third try, her patronus formed. Rose stared at her patronus in awe. Staring back at her was a beautiful silver wolf.

We need help! Rose whispered. Please find Uncle Harry, my father, and Draco Malfoy!" Rose said frantically to her patronus who blinked and then disappeared.

"Who are you talking to girl?" Lucius Malfoy asked as he flung Albus across the road. Al didn't get up.

Rose didn't answer him. As Lucius advanced on her, Rose was once again struck by the color of his eyes and the almost manic look on his face. Rose was sure that something was wrong. Someone or something must be influencing Lucius' actions!

"Come here you filthy Mudblood." Lucius growled as he dragged Rose to him by her hair. 'Let's see how dirty your blood really is."

Lucius then pulled out the knife that Bellatrix Lestrange had used on her mother many years ago. And without further ado, he pressed the knife to her throat…

Four loud pops announced the arrival of Harry, Ron, Draco, and Hermione. A shocked Lucius was then blasted away from Rose by a spell from a furious Ron Weasley.

"That's my daughter Malfoy!" Ron yelled as Rose fell to the ground. Her legs would no longer support her.

"Rose!" Hermione said as she ran to her daughter.

"Mum?" Rose asked quietly.

"Oh, Rose." Hermione said weeping silently. When she had seen Lucius with the knife pressed to Rose's throat… She was taken back to the day of her own torture, and was terrified that it was happening again, only this time to her daughter.

"Rose!" Scorpius yelled as he limped over. His father had freed him and roused Albus while Harry and Ron attended to Lucius Malfoy. "Are you alright?"

"I'm ok. How are you?" Rose asked Scorpius.

"I'm fine. Al?" Scorpius asked as Al walked over.

"I'm fine. You're Dad patched me up." Al said.

Upon seeing that her daughter was fine, Hermione decided to go and help her husband and best friend. She may have been helpless when she was being tortured, but she most certainly wasn't helpless now.

All of a sudden, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco were blasted away by a surge of power. It appeared that Lucius Malfoy had managed to overcome all four of their magic, which under normal circumstances would be impossible.

As soon as he was free, Lucius began to stalk towards Rose, Al, and Scorp who were determinedly backing away from him. Lucius smirked once he had them cornered against the wall.

Both Al and Scorp put their arms around Rose, and glared At Lucius menacingly.

Lucius just laughed.

Rose knew that something was off, so she attempted to try and get to the real Lucius Malfoy. "Please Mr. Malfoy. I know this isn't you. You felt sorrow and remorse for what you did when you were a death eater. You were going to be let out of Azkaban in five years!" Rose pleaded.

Lucius faltered for the first time since arriving. Rose saw a flash of Lucius' normal eyes before they turned pitch black once again.

"Silence Mudblood! You know not of what you speak of!" Lucius said.

"I know that you're not the real Lucius Malfoy. You're just controlling him!" Rose yelled. "If you're in there at all, fight against what's controlling you!" Rose appealed to the glimpse of Lucius that she had seen behind the darkness.

Lucius once again stopped in his tracks. His eyes kept on switching between their normal color and the pitch black. He sunk to his knees. It was if he was fighting against himself.

By this time, Harry and the rest of the adults had recovered, and they were approaching slowly from behind.

"Enough! Lucius yelled. He seemed to be yelling at whatever was controlling him. But, it seemed that whatever was controlling Lucius was stronger than he was. All of a sudden Lucius stood up straight and tall. His eyes were back to their pitch black color. But now, his eyes and mouth were leaking a black liquid.

Rose buried her face in Scorpius' chest.

Lucius smiled a manic smile, and before the adults could curse him, he said, "The Brotherhood will prevail. You have been warned."

And with that, Lucius Malfoy dropped dead.

* * *

Uncle Harry called an emergency meeting at the Burrow. Every member of the DA and Order of the Phoenix attended. Harry, Draco, Ron, and Hermione had decided that it was finally time to let everyone know about the Brotherhood.

Everyone was in an uproar over what had happened. It turned out that Lucius had been placed under a dark curse that hadn't been used in centuries due to its unpredictability and fatality. Those placed under the curse had no chance of survival; they would die as soon as their task was complete. The curse feed off of the wrongdoings that one had committed during their lives. The only way to fight off the curse would be to feel remorse, which Lucius did after the war. That's how he was able to fight the curse of for short periods of time.

Lucius had escaped Azkaban with the help from an imperiused Narcissa who then obliviated the guards and put false memoires in them. Narcissa fell apart upon hearing over her husband's gruesome death and her unintentional role in causing his demise.

While Al and Scorp were using a new and improved bug to listen to the Order's conversations with the rest of the underage cousins, Rose had decided to opt out. She had enough on her plate to think about. On the top of that list came the realization that she didn't just have a crush on her best friend, she had bloody fallen in love with him!

Rose didn't know what to do. The only thing she could be grateful for now was that summer was just around the corner.

* * *

**Please review! :)**

And that concludes the trio's fourth year. Their fifth year will include more Scorose drama, and more danger from the Brotherhood. Stay tuned!

I want every reader to have the best experience possible when reading my fanfiction. If you notice any spelling, punctutaion, and/or grammar mistakes, feel free to let me know because I know that those mistakes could take away from the story. Just PM me if you notice anything!


	9. OF CONFESSIONS AND MISTAKES

**J.K. Rowling is the boss**

* * *

It was a cold but sunny day in late October. Halloween was only a few days away. Usually, this was Rose's favorite time of year. She loved everything about fall- the leaves, the cooler weather that was just perfect for layering, and the delicious smells of all the pies baking in the kitchens. Everything was perfect, except for this year.

Rose was sitting in the library. She was supposed to be doing homework and studying, for this was the year she'd take her OWL examinations. Rose was taking OWL level Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Potions, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes, all of which were the toughest classes Hogwarts offered. Everyone knew not to bug Rose when she was in the library, unless they wanted to be hit by a Bat Boogey hex.

But Rose couldn't concentrate on her studies. She was too worried about, well, everything. The Brotherhood was getting stronger, and everyone was on high alert. And, on top of everything else, Rose was worried about being in love with her best friend. She had heard that the chances of best friends falling in love with each other was very slim. Her parents were the only exception, and they didn't count because they were weird.

"Rose!" a teary eyed Lily Luna Potter said as she approached her cousin's table.

"Lily! What's wrong? Are you ok?!" Rose asked as she snapped out of her musings.

"No!" Lily wailed. "Oh Rosie! It's so horrible!"

"What? What happened?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Not here! Come on!" Lily said as she began to hastily pack up all of Rose's belongings. "This way!"

Rose had no choice but to follow her cousin. "Lily! Where are we going?" Rose demanded as Lily strode through the castle.

"To the Room of Requirement! I need a room where we wouldn't be disturbed. I need to tell you something important!" Lily said as she led the way up to the seventh floor.

Lily began pacing in front of the stretch of wall while muttering under her breath. All of a sudden, a door appeared in what had previously been solid wall.

"Well, come on!" Lily said as she disappeared through the door.

"What did you want to talk about Lily?" Rose asked as soon as the door shut behind her. Rose turned around to see Lily pacing in front of what Rose thought looked like the Gryffindor common room. "I thought you wanted a place where we wouldn't be disturbed. I doubt that the Gryffindor common room meets that criteria." Rose said amused.

Lily seemed generally confused as she looked around the room. "I didn't mean for it to turn into the Gryffindor common room! I just asked for a room where I would feel comfortable in." Lily said. "But that's not why I asked you to come here."

"Well?" Rose prompted after several minutes of silence.

"Yes, ok! Sorry! Well here goes nothing!" Lily said nervously.

Rose had to cock an eyebrow at this. Lily was never nervous. In fact, she was usually quite the opposite. If Lily was worried, then there must be a good reason to be.

"IthinkIlikemybestfriend." Lily said in a rush.

"Um, I don't think I quite got what you said Lily. Could you repeat that a bit slower?" Rose asked confusedly. She assumed Lily had meant to say something half-way intelligent, but it sounded like mumble jumble when it came out of her mouth.

Lily took a deep breath and gathered her strength. "I said that I think I like my best friend."

"Really? Who?" Rose asked. It seemed like she and Lily could be in the same boat.

"Lysander Scammander." Lily said.

"That's great Lils!" Rose said. Lily and Lysander were best friend, and had loads of stuff in common with each other. They were both third year Gryffindors. Lysander's twin brother Lorcan, was in Ravenclaw.

"No it's not!" Lily said wailing.

Rose was confused. She didn't see why liking Lysander would be such a problem. He was a genuinely nice boy, even if he did get a bit cocky at times.

"I'm sorry Lils, but I don't see what the problem is." Rose said.

"These are the problem!" Lily yelled as she pulled out a pair of thick rimmed square glasses. "I have to wear glasses! James and Al don't need them! How come I need them!" Lily said as she burst into tears. "I look horrible in them!"

Rose couldn't for the life of her figure out why Lily was upset over glasses. And, just for the record, Lily did not look ugly with glasses. In fact, they seemed to emphasize her hazel eyes. Rose told Lily this, but she didn't believe her.

"I'm never going to get Ly's attention now." Lily moaned. "I'm not pretty like all of the other girls in my house."

"Lily Luna Potter! You look at me right now!" an annoyed Rose said to her cousin. This made Lily's head snap up in surprise. "Stop moaning about needing to get glasses! There are more important things to worry about. If Lysander is the friend I think he is, then a measly pair of glasses shouldn't change anything!"

This left Lily speechless. Rose had never acted cross with her before. This made Lily feel guilty and uncomfortable. So like any teenager, Lily decided to lash out at Rose in order to make herself feel better.

"Why are you acting this way Rose? I thought that I could talk to you about this without you judging me! What happened to being best cousins?" Lily asked angrily.

"We still are best cousins Lils! But when you came to me in the library crying, I thought that something serious had happened! I thought that maybe someone else had gotten hurt because of the Brotherhood!" Rose said just as angrily.

This calmed Lily down. She had forgotten that her cousin was there during the Brotherhood's last major attack, and that she had seen someone die right before her eyes.

"I'm sorry Rose." Lily said quietly. "You're right. I was just being stupid. I don't actually mind how I look in glasses. I guess I just needed to let some steam out or something."

"It's ok. I just have a lot on my plate." Rose said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry too. I remember what it was like to be thirteen and to suddenly be worried about how you look. Heck, I still worry about that."

"You know you can tell me anything Rose." Lily said. She could tell that her cousin looked like she was about to burst.

Rose sighed. "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone anything that is said in this room." Rose said as she looked Lily in the eye.

"I promise." Lily said.

"Well, you see, it's about Scorpius." Rose said with a blush. "I kind of like him too. No wait, I'm in love with him. I've gone and fallen in love with my best friend, and now I don't know what to do!" Rose said that last part while pacing back and forth nervously.

"Well, I figured as much." Lily said. "I mean, you guys always hung out together, and Scorpius is rather good looking, so I figured it was only a matter of time before you started having feelings for him." Lily said with a shrug.

"Oh." was all that Rose could come up with. She had thought that Albus was the only one who had any inkling of what she had been feeling regarding Scorpius, and even he didn't know the extent of her feelings. "Is it really that obvious?!" Rose asked nervously.

"Only if you look for it." Lily replied cryptically. "Don't worry, I don't think Scorpius knows. But I think he should."

"You think I should tell Scorpius?" Rose asked tentatively. In all honesty, Rose had been thinking about telling Scorpius how she felt. She wanted to have a chance before some other girl sunk her claws into him.

"Well, I would want to know if I were Scorpius." Lily said. "Besides, you'll never know if Scorpius likes you back unless you tell him!" Lily said with a smile.

"Yea, you're right Lily!" Rose said. That's it, she would do it. After all, her mother had told her that some things were worth fighting for.

* * *

Rose, Al, and Scorp were staying up late to do homework two days before the Christmas holidays started. Everyone else was upstairs in bed asleep except for the three of them. The three of them were working on a particularly challenging essay for Transfiguration.

"Ugh, how many lines must I write about the pros and cons of human transfiguration before McGonagall is happy?" Al asked tiredly.

"The essay is supposed to be thirteen inches. You look like you have ten." Rose said as she peered over Al's shoulder.

"Do you want to finish mine since you're done with all of your homework?" Al asked Rose hopefully.

This caused a snort to escape from Scorpius who was just putting the finishing touches on his homework.

"Al, you wouldn't learn anything if I do your homework for you." Rose chided. "Besides, you've only got two more inches to go!"

"ARGHHH, I give up!" Al shouted. "My brain is fried. I'll just finish these last two inches before class tomorrow." Al said as he packed up his stuff and left for the boy's dormitory.

"I think I'm going to head up to." Scorpius said as he stretched.

Rose couldn't help but notice the way his muscles moved as he stretched. "Wait!" Rose shouted at Scorpius as he was about to head up the stairs. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked more quietly.

Rose decided to give herself a little pep talk as Scorpius walked back over to her. She was going to do it tonight. Tell him how she really felt. She thought that now would be the perfect time because it was right before the holidays.

"What do you want to talk about so badly that couldn't wait until morning?" Scorpius teased.

Rose blushed at his teasing tone. Maybe she had been a tad bit too loud when she had asked him to wait… "I just wanted to say that…" Rose trailed off with a blush. Merlin this was harder than it looked.

Scorpius just stared at Rose. He really had no idea where this was going or why Rose was blushing. All he wanted to do was go to bed so he'd be able to function in the morning.

"I love you!" Rose suddenly exclaimed. Could she have been any more embarrassing?!

"Yea, that's great Rose." Scorpius said before turning to walk away. Wait, what?! "What did you say Rose?" Scorpius asked suddenly wide awake.

"I said that I love you!" Rose replied with a blush. "As in, I Rose Nymphadora Weasley am in love with my best friend, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." Rose said when all Scorpius did was stare at her.

"Rose I…" Scorpius started as he scratched the back of his head. Merlin, he didn't know what to say. He had no idea that Rose had felt that way about him! He certainly didn't think that way about her. Rose was just Rose. Incredibly beautiful, smart, kind, and an all-around amazing person. "Rose, I'm sorry, but I just don't feel the same way. I'm actually dating Melissa." Scorpius said to a steadily paling Rose.

Rose couldn't believe what was happening. Scorpius didn't love her. She was just his best friend. Rose couldn't help the tears that were suddenly escaping her eyes. She needed to get away before she totally lost it in front of Scorpius.

Scorpius felt horrible. He was the one who was making Rose's beautiful eyes swell up with tears. His heart actually ached at the sight. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want to lie to her either. Scorpius did love Rose, but he wasn't in love with her.

All of a sudden, Rose turned tail and ran from the common room.

"Rose, wait!" Scorpius called after her, but she was already gone.

Rose ran as fast and as far away as she could from the place where the boy she loved broke her heart. Before she knew it, she was in front of the room of requirement. Without even thinking of the consequences, Rose opened the door and went inside.

* * *

Rose was woken up to the sounds of Lily, Al, and Mei all calling her name.

"What?" Rose asked groggily. Then all of the memories came flooding back to her. All she wanted to do was disappear under the covers and never ever come out.

Apparently Al had other ideas. "Rose! You missed a prefects meeting!" he said scandalized. He and Rose usually walked to the meetings together, but when she didn't show up, Al had to leave without her so he wouldn't be late. "The Head Boy and Head Girl were wondering where you were, and I had to lie and say you were sick!" Al said putting emphasis on the word lie. Rose knew better than anyone how much he sucked at lying.

"How did you find me?" Rose asked.

Lily, Al, and Mei exchanged glances with each other. This wasn't normal behavior for Rose. Under normal circumstances Rose would be horrified at the prospect of missing a prefect meeting, but now that she'd actually missed one, she couldn't care less.

Lily looked at her cousin through narrowed eyes. "Alright, spill." she ordered.

Rose turned her head towards Lily with dead and bloodshot eyes. "I told him." she said.

While Al and Mei looked lost and confused, Lily let out a startled gasp. "Oh Rose!" Lily said while she gave her cousin a hug.

Rose started sobbing again as soon as she felt Lily's arms around her. "He said he didn't feel the same way, that he didn't love me!" she wailed. "He's dating Melissa!"

"Alright, what is going on?!" an totally confused and exasperated Al asked of the room in general once it appeared that no one was going to answer him. Rose was crying, and Lily and Mei were hugging and whispering consoling words to her.

"Rose told Scorpius that she was in love with him, and he said he didn't feel the same way." Lily recited. "Then he had the audacity to tell Rose that he was dating that skank Melissa!"

This made Al's blood boil. No one hurt his cousin, no one! Not even Scorpius could get away with that. Although, Al was surprised that Scorpius had told Rose he didn't love her. Al had thought that they would both end up together.

Rose, Lily, and Mei looked up in time to see the door slam shut. They all exchanged glances with each other.

"I think he's going to go teach Scorpius a lesson." Lily said.

"Oh no! I should go and stop him!" Rose said as she attempted to get up.

Mei and Lily exchanged glances before pushing Rose back down on the bed the Room of Requirement had conjured for her last night.

"No, you leave Scorpius to Albus. Albus will confront him, but he wouldn't do it in front of anyone." Mei said in attempt to stop Rose from worrying.

"And we're going to get you ready for the day! You need to hold your chin up high!" Lily said. "We leave tomorrow, so you can mope then. But for now you have to pretend that you aren't phased by any of this!"

And with that, Lily pushed Rose into the bathroom that the room had provided. "Shower, shave, and then put these clothes on!" Lily instructed as she handed Rose a pile of clothes.

"Where did you get these Lily?" Rose asked. Those weren't her clothes.

"The room gave them to me." Lily responded dismissively. "I asked for something that would look flattering with your figure that would also make Scorpius sorry for ever rejecting you." Lily added as she locked Rose in the bathroom.

Although she was still sad, Rose couldn't help but smile. She couldn't ask for two better girlfriends than Lily and Mei.

* * *

Rose stepped out of the bathroom all clothed only to find Lily and Mei looking her up and down critically.

"Err, is something wrong?" Rose asked nervously.

"No, we're just not used to seeing you in jeans." Mei replied.

"Seriously Rose! Why don't you ever wear anything other than sweatpants? I'd kill for your figure." Lily said enviously.

Rose blushed at that. It was true that her figure was quite nice. She was around 5'5 with long, lean, and toned legs from Quidditch. Her hips fanned out nicely accentuating her toned bum and abs. But the biggest change that Rose had noticed in the past year was the size of her breasts. They had gone from barely there to an impressive 32 C in the span of a few short months. Rose tried to hide them and the rest of her figure so that Belby couldn't find anything else to mock her with.

Rose told her cousin and Mei about Belby. This caused Lily's ears to go the signature Weasley red, and for Mei to narrow her eyes dangerously. If they had known about this earlier…

"Rose! Don't listen to a word that Belby says!" Mei exclaimed. "You're beautiful! Inside and out!"

"Like I already said, you have a figure that every girl in this school would dream of having! It's even better than Melissa's!" Lily said with a smirk. Melissa would be so jealous once she caught sight of Rose in the outfit she was wearing today.

Rose had on a pair of dark wash jeggings that clung to her legs and bum. She was wearing knee high equestrian style riding boots that made her outfit look polished and put together. On top, she was wearing a pretty blue V-neck long sleeved t-shirt that showed off her bust and her slim and toned tummy. It was tight without being skanky.

Rose looked at herself in the mirror. She had never really bothered to wear clothes that flattered her figure because Belby had convinced her that she was too boyish, short, and fat to be considered attractive. As she was looking in the mirror, Rose couldn't help but wonder why she had ever believed a word Belby had ever said. Her body was healthy, toned, and hers. It would put the Victoria's Secret models that everyone in America seemed to be obsessed with to shame.

Rose smiled, and then frowned once she looked at her face.

"What's wrong?" Mei asked.

"My face and hair. My face is just so plain, and my hair too bushy." Rose replied.

"Nonsense." Lily said. "Your face is completely acne free, and your eyes are this striking ocean blue. There is nothing plain about that. As for your hair… Well, you did inherit Aunt Hermione's bushiness, but it's managed to tame itself this year. I guess you have your Dad to thank for that!" Lily joked.

Upon seeing that Rose still looked uncertain, Mei turned her towards the mirror once again. "I want you to look at yourself Rose. Really look at yourself. I want you to disregard whatever stupid ideas Belby has put in your head and look at yourself from an outside perspective. Now tell me what you see."

Rose did as Mei instructed. "I see a girl of about average height with red, curly hair that goes to her mid-chest. She has eyes the color of the ocean and a clear complexion." Rose said.

"Keep going!" Lily cheered.

This made Rose more confident. "I see a girl with a healthy, beautiful, and if I do say sexy body!" Rose said smiling. "She's smiling because she can actually see herself correctly for the first time since first year. I see a girl who is confident and intelligent and kind…" Rose trailed off smiling like mad.

This caused Lily and Mei to start cheering.

"Whoo!"

"Go get em' girl!"

Rose couldn't help but laugh. Her friends had managed to make her smile through her heartbreak, and undo the damage that Belby had instilled in her body image and overall confidence. And for that, Rose couldn't be more grateful.

* * *

Rose made her way through the remainder of classes with her head held high. She would walk to and from class with Lily and Mei flanking her. Rose couldn't help but be pleased when she saw that students were doing double takes when she walked by. Even Belby, who always had something to say to her, was oddly silent.

Rose and Mei made their way to the Ravenclaw table at dinnertime. Heads turned as they walked down the aisle. Everyone wanted to see for themselves if Rose was actually wearing jeans. All of the girls couldn't help but stare enviously as the guys rubbed their eyes in disbelief as the Rose Weasley they had all thought of as 'one of the guys' suddenly became quite the girl.

This made Rose smile. She was done hiding behind sweats. She had always secretly wanted to dress the way she was now, but she just didn't think she could pull it off. But now that she knew she could… Well, she saw a shopping trip in the near future.

Rose and Mei sat down opposite of Al and Scorpius, who were glaring in opposite directions from each other.

"Hi!" Rose said to both of the boys. She prided herself with the fact that she didn't break down upon seeing Scorpius again. It also helped that Mei had squeezed her hand in encouragement right before they had sat down.

Rose's greeting caused Al and Scorpius to look up in surprise. They hadn't expected Rose to come down to dinner as she hadn't showed up until after lunch.

Scorpius looked at Rose. He really needed to apologize. It was pretty tactless of him to not tell Rose about Melissa, only to dump it all on her after she had confessed her feelings for him.

Scorpius opened his mouth to tell her all of this when he caught Rose's eye. She looked away quickly and instead focused on the conversation Al and Mei were having.

Scorpius used this time to study Rose. He had heard that she was wearing what one boy in his class had dubbed 'actual girls clothes.' The boy had also said that she looked 'really hot.' Scorpius could now see that the boy was right on both accounts. But 'hot' wasn't the right word to describe Rose with. The closest Scorpius could come up with was 'incredibly and impossibly breathtaking.' Scorpius didn't know how he had missed that all of the years they were friends.

Scorpius' train of thought was interrupted by the yell of, "Scorpy babe!"

Melissa had arrived at the table and placed herself directly on Scorpius' lap. While she had smiled and flirted shamelessly with Scorpius, she had sent a death glare towards Rose. This was caught by everyone by Scorpius.

Rose just cocked her eyebrow in response. Melissa didn't scare her. Rose was the top of her class, and the smartest witch in the school. She could take Melissa down any day.

Melissa seemed to notice this because her grip on Scorpius' neck got even tighter. "Come on Scorpy. Let's go somewhere more private." she said as she dragged Scorpius out of the great hall.

Rose just rolled her eyes.

* * *

The train ride home was awkward. Rose really didn't know how else to describe it. There was this tension between her and Scorpius, and Al and Scorpius. Melissa was in the compartment, and she was shooting death rays at Rose whenever Scorpius wasn't paying attention. Mei was shooting covet looks in Albus' direction, and Lily was glaring at Melissa.

Rose couldn't take the tension anymore. "Alright, I'm going to go and, well yea." Rose finished lamely. Oh well, she didn't care. She just wanted to leave.

Before she could leave, Scorpius grabbed her arm. "Rose, we really need to talk." he said.

Rose really wanted to refuse him. She wasn't ready. She was putting up a brave front, but in reality, she was hurting. But she couldn't refuse because Scorpius looked just like he did the first day on the train: confused, lost, and a bit hurt. Rose sighed and nodded her acceptance.

Scorpius gave her a smile that made Rose's heart race as he led them to an empty compartment.

"Look Rose, I wanted to apologize about the other night." Scorpius said. "I shouldn't have told you about Melissa right after you told me how you felt."

"No you shouldn't have." Rose said suddenly angry. "You should have told me way before! I thought we were best friends! Why did you think you had to keep that from me!"

Scorpius sighed. This wasn't going how he planned it. "I didn't tell you because I knew how you felt about Melissa. I didn't want you to break us up just because you didn't like her." Scorpius realized his mistake as soon as he said it.

"I see." Rose said dangerously calm. "I see that I must be a horrible friend. I must be someone who only has her best interests at heart, and who doesn't give a shit about anyone else! I must be the type of girl who would prevent her best friend from finding happiness with another girl just because she doesn't like said girl and is secretly in love with him! That must be me!"

Rose said all of this calmly. It was extremely unnerving, and it made Scorpius feel horrible and guilty all at once. He would prefer that she had yelled at him. "Rose, I…" Scorpius all but begged.

"Save your breath. I'm done." and with that, Rose left and didn't look back.

Scorpius slid down the wall and covered his face with his hands. He then punched the compartment door, which caused what he figured was a broken finger. But Scorpius could care less. All he could think about was how badly he had fucked up the best thing that had ever happened to him.

* * *

**Please review! Hearing your responses to my story encourages me to write! Your enthusiasm and appreciation make me want to finish this story!**

Wow. That had a ton of drama! Poor Rosie. That Belby fellow is quite the jerk, but I'm glad that Rose, with the help of her friends, was finally able to see herself clearly. Rose is feeling much more confident, despite her heartbreak over Scorpius. Speaking of Scorpius, he got himself in some deep shit. He better grab his shovel and dig himself out in the next couple of chapters. The next chapter will be from the Brotherhood's perspective. It'll shake things up a bit ;)

Don't worry, this is still a Scorose fanfic. They just need to experience some ups and downs before they get together!

P.S. I'm in college and our semester just started. Updates might have to be more slow. So please follow, that way you'll know when I update :)


	10. THE BROTHERHOOD

I wish I may, I wish I might, have some reviews to read tonight! ;)

**J.K. Rowling owns all characters and settings**

* * *

The man watched the three families from afar as they waited for the train that carried their children to arrive. The Potters and Weasleys were standing together talking amicably, while the Malfoys were standing a little ways off to the side. Even though the mothers and children were friends, it appeared that the fathers still weren't friendly. The man smiled. It really was for the best.

The man stopped watching the families as the train pulled into the station. As soon as the train stopped, a teenage girl with long red curls appeared in one of the doorways only to fling herself, sobbing into her mother's arms. The girl was closely followed by three other people. Two of them the man recognized. Albus and young Lily were quite famous. The man frowned as he looked at the other, Asian featured girl who seemed to be about Albus' age. If she was friends with the Potters and Weasleys, then she'd need to be watched too. He made a mental not of that for later.

The man watched in amusement as the sobbing red-head, he believed that this particular one was named Rose, was soon surrounded by concerned family members. Albus, Lily, and the mystery girl began talking at once as both Ron and Hermione demanded to know what was wrong. Albus and Lily looked angry, and the mystery girl looked concerned. Whatever they were saying must not have been good, for the noticed that Ron's ears began to glow red.

Almost at once, the whole entire Potter and Weasley family, minus the still sobbing Rose, turned towards a person who had just gotten off the train. The man turned to see who the unlucky person was. He managed to muffle a snort. The person that had earned the ire from all of the younger Potters and Weasleys, and Ron in particular, was none other than Scorpius Malfoy! And, it looked like Scorpius was also upset, and holding what looked to be an injured hand. This really was too perfect.

The man's amused grin only grew as he heard the dulcet tones of an infuriated Ron Weasley. The man would bet that all of London could hear him. "MALFOY! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO TO MAKE MY DAUGHTER CRY?!"

With that, all movement and conversation in the station came to a dead halt. Everyone stopped to watch what they thought would be the much anticipated Weasley-Malfoy show down. The man couldn't help but watch with rapt attention. If he was lucky, both Malfoy and Weasley would end up putting each other in the hospital, or even better, killing each other.

Draco Malfoy was shocked. There was no other word for it. For once in his life, he lost his signature Malfoy look of indifference, and in public no less. "I can assure you, that I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Malfoy senior hissed in a whisper that carried nonetheless due to the dead silence.

"Not you!" Ron said to Draco. "I'm talking about HIM!" and with that Ron pointed a hand, trembling with rage, to an embarrassed and stunned Scorpius Malfoy.

The man couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He took pleasure in the fact that the Malfoy family was on the receiving end of some public humiliation, and not the cause of it.

Hermione Weasley apparently did not share the same sentiments. "RONALD WEASLEY!" she yelled at her enraged husband. "What do you think you're doing? Making a spectacle in the middle of a packed train station?!"

Hermione could be scary when angry. The man once again chuckled to himself. He almost felt bad for her husband.

"Grab Hugo! We're leaving now!" Hermione told Ron in a voice that would hear no arguments. "If you're not home in five minutes… So help me Ronald!" Hermione left the rest of her sentence open to interpretation as she disapparated with Rose and all of the luggage. Ron's face was priceless.

"Come on Hugo! You heard your mother!" and with that, Ron grabbed his stunned son and disapparated also.

The man looked back towards the Malfoys and Potters. It seemed that the Asian looking girl had departed when he wasn't paying attention. Oh well, they could always have someone tail her later.

The man watched as an embarrassed looking Astoria Malfoy looked towards her equally embarrassed son. Then he watched as a furious Draco Malfoy turned towards both his wife and son and began to whisper furiously.

The man couldn't hear what they were saying, because by that time the noise levels had once again picked up. Apparently there wouldn't be a showdown now that Ron had left.

The man watched as Draco looked at his son, then at his son's hand, and then towards the source of the loud, "SCORPY!" The look on Draco's face was priceless. It was even more comical than Weasley's had been when his wife had publically berated him.

Draco Malfoy looked livid. He was obviously in the middle of a family conversation, only to be interrupted by a skanky looking twat that didn't even know his son's name. The man really couldn't blame Draco for that one. If he had had a son, and some bimbo had interrupted his lecture like that girl had, well, there might not be a girl after that.

The man chuckled again as Draco's face got even more livid. It appeared that that girl was Scorpius' GIRLFRIEND! Oh, this was too funny. Wait, if that girl was Scorpius' girlfriend…

Everything suddenly made sense! Rose's crying, Ron's outburst, and the rest of the Potter and Weasley children looking towards Scorpius angrily… Rose must have feelings for the Malfoy boy, who obviously didn't feel the same towards her. If Rose was crying over this, and the rest of the children were mad, then the man bet that the Potter/Weasley family would be distancing themselves from the Malfoys.

The man smiled to himself. Scorpius had practically handed them exactly what they needed on a silver platter! He couldn't wait to inform everyone else of this newest development.

And with that the man apparated away, not realizing that the whole time he was watching the scenes unfold in front of him, he himself was being watched by a pair of vivid green eyes.

* * *

The man apparated to a house some unknown distance from the train station. As soon as he landed, he marched up to the door and rang the doorbell. Everything was silent until an eye stared at out at him through the peephole. Once his magical check was complete, he was allowed entrance.

The man walked through the house until he came to a room with huge wooden doors. The man opened the doors and stepped into the house's library. Inside the library was an odd assortment of men and women. They were odd in the sense that they all looked like perfectly normal, law abiding citizens. No one would have guessed that this meeting belonged to those in the Brotherhood.

"Ah, Erasmus! You've come back. Any news?" an older gentleman with glasses and thinning hair asked. He looked like the average muggle university professor. Not like what one would expect the leader of the Brotherhood to look like.

"Yes. I have news, Bernard. Splendid news in fact." Erasmus said to Bernard. Then turning to the room at large, he told of what he had heard and seen at the station that morning.

When he was finished, everyone in the room was grinning. This really was splendid news. The Malfoys would be easier to get to if they were no longer linked to the two most powerful wizarding families in the world.

Erasmus was grinning ear to ear. He knew that his information was good. He then turned to Bernard, who was deep in thought. "Now that the Malfoys are no longer on good terms with the Potter/Weasley family, this should mean that we no longer have to target them, correct?" While Erasmus wanted all of the former death eaters and their families to pay, he was a little hesitant with the idea of hurting the Golden Trio.

Bernard looked at Erasmus contemplatively. Then he turned to address the room at large. "Erasmus here has brought up a good point. Should we still pursue the Potter/Weasley family now that the Malfoys have had a fallen out with them?" Bernard looked at everyone as he asked this question.

Dead silence met his question. It appeared that no one knew what would be the 'right' answer.

"The correct answer is yes, we should. While the Potter/Weasley family were on the right and winning side during the war, they are still the strongest reminders of the war and all that it encompassed to this day." Bernard said as he began to pace back and forth behind his desk. "Our objective is to bring about justice for those who have been wronged. The only way to go about this is to start over."

"What do you mean?" one of the women asked.

"I mean that it is our responsibility to create a whole new world in place of the corrupt world that we live in now. We need to eradicate all forms of prejudice, and all links and reminders that that prejudice ever existed. That means, that unfortunately, the Potter and Weasley family have to go. As do all of the other families that fought on either side of the war. Once they are gone, we can put forth efforts to try and dramatize the war. We can make it so that people think that the war was only a myth, of something that could happen if they chose to be closed minded and hateful."

Bernard's speech was met with all sorts of reactions. Some members were eager to lead what they believed was a new revolution, while others were more skeptical. The whole 'new world' sounded like something that Voldemort had wanted to create, although his world would have been full of hate and prejudice.

"I can see that some of you are still not keen on the idea of creating a new world, probably because it reminds you of Voldemort." Bernard said. "I can ensure you that the new world that we help create will not be remotely close to the world that Voldemort wanted to create. Our world will be filled with acceptance towards everyone, and equality for all. There will be no sign of prejudice, and no way for a person to become 'better' than another."

While there were still a few skeptics, most everyone seemed to be more welcome to the idea of creating a new world.

"Now, let us plan." Bernard said as he sat down at his desk.

* * *

**Pleasereviewpleasereviewpleasereview. I didn't want to have to beg, but I'm not getting a lot of reviews. I don't know if you guys actually like the story unless you review ;P **

**xShoutout to NanoWorker who has reviewed the most! Thanks!x**

This chapter gives a bit more insight into the Brotherhood and their objectives. Tell me what you think of them! Good or evil? Right idea or wrong idea? Right idea, but wrong way of going about it? Wrong idea, and wrong way of going about it? Are they as bad as the death eaters, as Voldemort? You're input is much appreciated.

Next chapter will be over winter holidays. It'll still be fifth year. We'll get to see how the Potter/Weasley family spend their Christmas, and, maybe we'll see some more Scorose drama. And, maybe some AlMei hookups! Hurray for magical mistletoe! ;)


	11. OF SHOPPING AND MEETINGS

Keep on reviewing! :)

**Once again, J.K. Rowling owns everything!**

* * *

It was the day before Christmas. That meant that it had been an entire week since Rose had last talked to Scorpius. Not that she was counting or anything. Rose couldn't blame Scorpius for the silence since he had written a letter every single day, sometimes more than one in a day. It was her own fault that they hadn't talked. Rose just wasn't ready to face him yet.

Rose looked up as she heard footsteps outside of her door. Rose knew those footsteps. They belonged to the one and only Albus Severus Potter.

"Rose, you awake?" Al whispered from outside of her door.

Rose looked at her clock. It was six in the morning. She sighed, and got up to let her cousin in. "What do you want Al? It's six in the morning, you shouldn't be up for at least another three hours." Rose said.

"I'm only up because I knew you'd be up. You're an insanely early riser, Rosie." Al said with a grin.

Rose just rolled her eyes. "What do you want Al?"

"I want to know why you've been avoiding me. Is it because I decided to talk to Scorp again? It shouldn't be, because you're the one who told me not to be mad at him, and that the matter was between the two of you." Al said anxiously.

Rose sighed at sat down on her bed. "No Al, I'm not avoiding you because of that per say…" Rose said as she absentmindedly stroked her hair. "It's more the fact that seeing you reminds me that you're talking to Scorpius again while I've been ignoring his letters. It's a guilt thing."

Al's eyes softened at that. "Rose, you don't have to feel guilty about anything. What Scorpius said to you on the train was so far out of line, that when I started talking to him again, the first thing I did was yell at him! You have every right to be mad! Even though Scorp and I are friends again, I'm still not over what he said to you." Al told Rose reassuringly.

"You think so Al? You don't think I'm just being a drama queen or selfish?" Rose asked. She honestly didn't know if she was making the right decision in ignoring Scorpius' letters.

"Yea. I told Scorpius as much when he asked why you hadn't responded to his letters. I told him that you needed time, that what he said really hurt you, and that while you would eventually forgive him, because you're such a selfless and amazing person, it would take time." Al told Rose as she leaned in for a much needed Albus hug.

"Thanks Al, you're really the best." Rose said with a smile.

"I know." Al said with a wink. "Scorpius said he's still going to write every day though, even if you don't respond to him. He said they're the only thing keeping him sane. Apparently his mother is cross with him for hurting you, she apparently adores you like her own daughter, and for punching a door and breaking his hand. And his Dad is furious that Scorpius said something so hurtful to a girl, and not only any girl, to a girl that he actually likes and has respect for. And his Dad hates his girlfriend. He apparently reminds his Dad of someone from his own school days, someone who his father wasn't proud to be linked with now that he's older." Al said as he summarized what had been in Scorpius' previous letters.

"Oh." Rose said. She couldn't help but feel a bit better now that she knew that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy actually liked her.

"So, what are your plans dear cousin of mine?" Al asked.

"I'm going to Diagon Alley with Lily and Mei. We're going shopping to take advantage of all the Christmas sales and specials!" Rose said excitedly.

This surprised Al. Rose had never shown excitement over shopping before. "You're… excited about shopping?" Al asked as he crinkled his nose.

"Oh, yea! The girls and I are going clothes shopping! I'm getting a whole new wardrobe!" Rose said as she laughed at the look of shock and confusion on Albus' face. Boys.

"But, you hate shopping! You were always the first to suggest leaving whenever you, me, and Scorpius would go shopping before school!" Albus said. He didn't understand Rose's sudden change of mind. Girls.

"Oh, I never did tell you this… I didn't want you and Scorp to think I was weak or something stupid like that. I know now that not telling anyone for so long was a mistake. When I finally told Lily and Mei, it was like this giant weight was lifted from my chest!" Rose said. Upon seeing Al looking more confused than ever, Rose began telling Albus about Belby, and the bullying he had put her through for nearly five years.

Al was fuming by the time Rose had finished telling her story. He couldn't believe that she had never told him or Scorpius about that! But, that was just like Rose. She was always willing to help others, but when she needed help… Rose was just too good and naive sometimes, Al thought sadly.

Al got up suddenly. He needed to send a letter.

"Where are you going Al?" a confused Rose asked of Al's sudden desire to leave her presence.

The only answer she got was an "out!" before Al left. This only left Rose more confused than ever.

* * *

"Rose! You have got to try these one!" Lily squealed as she raced back to the dressing room in one of the newer stores in Diagon Alley. This store was added after the war, during the reconstruction and renovation. It was called Clothes and Chaos.

Rose thought that the name fit the store perfectly, since it had every style and type of clothing fit for the teenage and young adult witch. And the store was currently chaotic as all the young witches attempted to take advantage of the huge sales. Rose was glad that they had got there early, and that she had Lily and Mei to help her out.

For one, they got a chance at most of the clothes before the crowds arrived, and two, because Lily and Mei both knew a lot about fashion. They knew what was in, and what looked good one her. And that was why Rose was currently trying on her, for what it seemed, 500th pair of skinny jeans.

"Come out Rose! We want to see how you look!" Mei called from outside of the dressing room.

Rose stepped out wearing a pair of dark wash skinny jeans that accentuated her toned legs. She was wearing a dark tank-top with feathers with a slouchy, oversized rose pink cardigan. She completed the look with black boots. Doc Martins, the store lady had called them. Lily and Mei liked them because they were shiny and stylish; Rose liked them because they were comfortable and practical.

Lily and Mei gave her a thumbs up when they saw her latest ensemble.

"You look great Rose! You've looked great in everything you've tried on so far! You can just add those clothes and shoes to the 'keep' pile." Lily said while indicating to the large pile of clothes and accessories on her right.

Merlin, that was a lot of clothes. Rose reckoned that there were more than she had ever owned. Oh well, it was for a good cause. Rose was finally doing what she had always wanted to do, and dressing the way she had always dreamed of dressing. She was changing, because she wanted to change. No longer would she bow down and hide because of the harsh words of others.

Rose changed out of the clothes she had on into the black leggings that were hand-me-downs from Victorie, and into the old flannel she had borrowed from her Dad. Rose then put her favorite equestrian boots on, that she had had for years, but had never worn. Until now that is.

"Did you find everything ok?" the sales lady asked as Rose, Lily, and Mei all walked up to the checkout with mounds of clothes so high, it was nearly impossible to see over.

"Yes, thank you." Rose said as they all placed the clothes on the counter.

The sales lady stared in shock as she saw who her latest customers were. They were none other than Rose Weasley, and Lily Potter! Daughters of the famous Golden Trio! And they were shopping in her shop! It was almost too much for her to handle.

"How much do I owe you?" Rose asked as she dug in her bag for her wallet.

"Nothing, it's on the house." the woman answered promptly.

This caused Rose to look up in surprise. "Excuse me?" Rose asked. "Surely you don't mean that. All of this must cost at a minimum 200 galleons!"

"No, I was quite serious dearie. It's on the house." the woman said as she smiled at the three girls, who were staring at her with open mouths. "You're parents, they saved my life. I'm a muggle-born, and I was being questioned by the awful Dolores Umbridge in one of the ministry court rooms. They were going to throw me into Azkaban on the charge of stealing a proper witch or wizard's magic!" the woman said angrily as she remembered the events from that day. "But then something remarkable happened. Runcorn, who was feared by most of the muggle borns came in and stupefied the death eater presiding over the hearings, and then Umbridge herself!" the woman said as she looked at the trio expectantly.

They just stared back at her. "I'm sorry. But we don't know what you're talking about." Rose said apologetically.

"It's fine dearie. I'll explain. You see, Runcorn was actually Harry Potter under the disguise of Polyjuice Potion! Your mother was the mousy witch Mafalda Hopkirk, and your father was my husband! They told my husband and I to grab our children and flee the country, because we wouldn't receive fair treatment here. And we did. We escaped to America where I started my clothing store. We moved back after the war, and our business has been doing great since. I owe your parents my and my family's life! So please, anything you want is on the house!" the woman finished with a smile. "And I wouldn't take no for an answer!" she said as she magically packed all of Rose's new clothes and shoes into bags.

Rose, Lily, and Mei were shocked. They had never known about this particular story before. Rose knew that her parents had snuck into the ministry, but she hadn't known that they'd saved someone's life while doing so!

"Come again soon!" the nice lady called after the trio as they exited her shop into Diagon Alley.

"I think I need an ice cream." Rose said as they headed up the street.

"Ok, we can go to Florean's!" Mei said.

* * *

After their ice cream trip, the trio found themselves in a bookstore. Mei and Lily glanced at each other amused. It was so like Rose to want to look in a bookstore. "Rose, we're going to floo back to the house with all of your stuff. We'll be back after!" Lily said as she and Mei walked out of the store.

Rose just nodded her head in agreement. She was already too absorbed in her book. Rose turned to walk to where she knew a giant arm chair was waiting. But, she bumped into something before she could make her destination.

Rose looked up from her book confused. Blue eyes met hazel. Rose blinked as the tall figure of Hadrian Finnigan came into view. He smiled at her. Rose couldn't help but smile back.

Hadrian was the son of Seamus Finnigan. After the war, Seamus had traveled the world, only to meet and fall in love with South American beauty Adina Larson. He was a mix of both his parents. He had gotten his height from his model mother, but the fair complexion of his Irish father. His hair was a light, chocolaty brown, and he had his mother's good looks.

Hadrian had also received his mother's ambition and strive for greatness which had gotten him sorted into Slytherin the year before Rose went to Hogwarts. Rose liked Hadrian. He was everything good that Slytherin had to offer: smart, sly, ambitious, and talented. He was the only one who had known about Belby's bullying because he would usually be around when it occurred. He was the only one in the group of Slytherins who would stick up for her and to Belby. And for that, Rose was extremely grateful.

"Hi! Fancy seeing you here!" Hadrian said with a wink.

Rose had to chuckle at that. It seemed that she and Hadrian would always meet when books were around. They always seemed to run into each other in the library.

"Hi Hadrian! Have you been having a good break?" Rose asked.

"Yes, it's been nice and relaxing, but sort of lonely. My mum had a modeling gig in the Caribbean, and my dad went with her. They were supposed to be back in time for Christmas, but they're currently stuck there due to a hurricane warning!" Hadrian remarked sadly.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry Hadrian! Is there anything I can do?" Rose asked concernedly.

"Thanks Rose. You're always so kind. But, no, I don't think there's anything you can do." Hadrian replied.

Rose felt so bad for Hadrian! She couldn't imagine spending the holidays alone, without her family… Rose had an idea. "Hey Hadrian, my family and I always have a Christmas party! Why don't you come stay the night at the Burrow, and then join us for our Christmas celebrations tomorrow?!" Rose asked excitedly!

Hadrian's eyes lit up. "Really, you mean it?! Thanks a bunch Rose! This really means a lot to me."

"It was my pleasure! After everything you've done for me." Rose said with a smile.

Hadrian knew immediately what Rose was referring to. "Is Belby still giving you trouble?" Hadrian asked with a growl.

Rose was surprised by this reaction, but she responded truthfully. "No, he seems to have stopped. He didn't say anything the day before break." Rose said remembering.

"Ah yes. The day you wore those jeans and that pretty top that matched your eyes." Hadrian said remembering. "You looked really pretty that day! I mean, you always look pretty, but you looked especially pretty that day!" Hadrian said with a blush.

"Thank you!" Rose said blushing. She wasn't used to getting compliments about her looks from boys outside of her family. Rose found that she was pleasantly surprised by how good it made her feel.

"Hey, do you want to grab a bite to eat? I know this cool new restaurant!" Hadrian asked excitedly.

"I'd love to!" Rose said smiling. "Let me just send a Patronus to Mei and Lily so they know where I am!" and with that, Rose conjured her wolf Patronus and sent it with a message to Mei and Lily.

"You can do a Patronus?!" Hadrian asked impressed. "But that's NEWT level curriculum!"

Rose just blushed. Today was turning out to be quite fun!

* * *

Lily and Mei were just arriving downstairs at the Burrow when Rose's Patronus reached them. Albus, and Scorpius, who had arrived early for the party tomorrow, were in the room with the floo.

All four of them stopped what they were doing to listen to what Rose's Patronus had to say.

"Lily, Mei, I'm going out to lunch with Hadrian Finnigan, so don't bother trying to find me in the book store. I'll come back to the Burrow once it's over. Oh, and can you tell Nana Molly that Hadrian will be staying the night and then for the party tomorrow? I'll explain later. Rose."

Lily, Mei, Al, and Scorpius all looked at each other once Rose's patronus disappeared.

"Hadrian?! Since when has she been friendly with Hadrian?!" Scorpius asked somewhat bitterly.

"Since you've been too busy to pay her proper attention." Lily snapped irritably. She still hadn't forgiven Scorpius for hurting her cousin. "Just because you never noticed she was a girl didn't mean that other boy's haven't! Besides, I like Hadrian, and I think he and Rose would make a lovely couple!" Lily added before prancing off.

Mei and Al exchanged glances, and then looked over at Scorpius, who looked like he had been hit in the face with a bludger.

Al sighed. This Christmas was going to be interesting.

* * *

Please review!

Next chapter will be the Christmas party! I wonder what drama will unfold there now that Scorpius and Hadrian are in the same house. Is Scorpius jealous? Only time will tell!


	12. OF ACCUSATIONS, FORGIVENESS & MISTLETOE

Please review!

**Everything belongs to the very special J.K. Rowling**

* * *

Albus, Lily, Mei, and Scorpiuswere all sitting in the Burrow's family room, waiting for Rose and Hadrian to arrive. Al glanced at the clock, with his eyebrows furrowed. If Rose didn't come back soon, she would miss dinner. Then she'd have to face the wrath of an angry Nana Weasley.

Molly Weasley Senior was grandmother to all of the Potter/Weasley grandchildren, and the matriarch of the whole family. She absolutely hated when people skived out on dinner, especially if it was a holiday one as well. The Weasley family was a family of traditions, and one of those traditions was gathering together on Christmas Eve to sit down to a nice family dinner.

Albus, Lily, Scorpius, and Mei all stopped what they were doing and looked towards the fire place once they heard the tell-tale sound of the floo. They watched as Rose stumbled out laughing, only to be knocked over by Hadrian, who had arrived right behind her.

Rose and Hadrian glanced at each other from their sprawled positions on the floor and promptly burst into hysterical laughter. Rose couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun! Hadrian was honestly an amazing guy, and Rose couldn't help but spill her whole life story to him during lunch. She had told him everything; from Belby and Scorpius, to her concern about the Brotherhood. Hadrian for his part, had been understanding and supportive.

Hadrian got to his feet, and held out his hand for Rose to take. Rose gladly took it. Hadrian had been quite the gentleman. He had pulled out her chair for her during lunch, opened the doors for her after lunch as they visited the other shops in Diagon Alley, and he had even paid for her sweets at the Diagon Alley branch of Honeydukes. Even though Rose was in love with Scorpius, she couldn't help but notice that Hadrian was quite the catch. He really would make the most wonderful boyfriend.

Rose and Hadrian looked away from each other once they heard someone pointedly clear their throat. Rose looked away blushing, only to be meet with the questioning stares of Albus, Lily, Mei, and Scorpius. Seeing Scorpius made Rose's blush more pronounced. She couldn't help but remember how she had told him she loved him only a week ago, and how he had broken her heart. Rose also bitterly remembered their last conversation on the train. Upon remembering that, Rose's blush turned into an angry flush.

Hadrian placed his arm around Rose's shoulder, and gave it a comforting squeeze upon seeing her discomfort. Rose had just finished telling him about her feelings for Scorpius, and his tactless rejection and hurtful comments. Hadrian couldn't for the life of him understand how Scorpius could choose someone so shallow and loose with their morals over someone as great as Rose. He was truly and utterly stumped. If Rose had loved him, he would consider himself to be the luckiest guy on the planet.

Scorpius glared upon seeing Hadrian's arm around Rose. She had told him that she loved him a week ago, but now she was with another guy? This, for a reason Scorpius didn't quite understand, made him irrationally angry. So when Rose introduced Hadrian to the rest of the group, he remained moodily silent.

"Al, Lily, Mei, Scorpius, I want you to meet my good friend Hadrian." Rose said as Hadrian shook hands with everyone but Scorpius, who refused to look in his direction. "Hadrian is the year above us. He's in Slytherin." Rose said.

Al, Lily, and Mei all greeted Hadrian warmly. If he was friends with Rose, than he must be a good person. Scorpius on the other hand only glared, which made Hadrian cock his eyebrow in amusement.

"HA! Friend my arse!" Scorpius said moodily while glaring at the arm Hadrian still had around Rose's shoulders.

Hadrian and Rose looked at Scorpius shocked, while Lily and Mei turned towards Scorpius angrily. Al, for his part, only shook his head disappointedly at his best friend.

"What is your problem, Scorpius?!" Rose asked angrily once she had recovered from her shock. "You don't have to be rude to Hadrian! He's my friend!"

"I thought I was your friend!" Scorpius retorted hurt and angry. "But you wouldn't know that, seeing as you haven't answered any of my letters! And now I see why! You were too busy with Hadrian!" Scorpius emphasized Hadrian's name in an out of character girlish voice that only succeeded in pissing Rose off further.

"You know exactly why I haven't responded to your letters, you prat! You hurt me! You can't just expect me to up and forget everything you said just like that!" Rose said just as hurt and angry as Scorpius. "Besides, Hadrian and I are just friends! There is nothing romantic going on between us!" Rose said as her eyes began to fill with hurt and frustrated tears.

"Well, that doesn't look to be the case from where I'm standing." Scorpius said with a sneer as he indicated to the arm Hadrian still had around Rose's shoulder.

"Why… You… You're unbelievable!" Rose finally managed. "You, you're such a MALFOY!" and with that, Rose shrugged out from under Hadrian's arm and ran upstairs towards the room she was sharing with Lily and Mei.

Mei immediately left to follow her best friend while Lily marched up to Scorpius angrily. "Nice going. Really, I honestly don't think you could have hurt her more than you already have." Lily said to Scorpius before she too went after Rose.

This left Al, Scorpius, and Hadrian alone in the room together. Hadrian was glaring at Scorpius for hurting Rose, and Scorpius was glaring back defiantly. Al was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He wondered when his friendships had gotten so complicated.

"Why… She… Can you believe her? I'm unbelievable! She's the one who hooked up with some random guy right after she told me she loved me. If she really loved me, than she wouldn't have gotten together with you!" Scorpius said half crazed as he pointed towards Hadrian.

"Enough! I know we don't know each other, but I do know Rose. And I know that she really does love you, although I can't for the life of me figure out why. From what I've seen so far today, you aren't worthy of her love. She's too good for you. You're nothing but a spoiled brat who would willingly through out years of friendship on a girl who is nothing more than an ignorant ditz!" Hadrian said thoroughly enraged on Rose's behalf. "If I were you, I'd take a good hard look in the mirror, because the only 'bad guy' in this situation is you. Stop looking for sympathy and playing the victim. It's time you looked outside yourself and considered how your actions have been affecting those around you, especially Rose. Once you've gotten your shit together, man up and apologize to Rose!" Hadrian said angrily before heading upstairs to where he suspected Rose would be.

Scorpius could do no more than gape after Hadrian left. He had never had someone talk to him that way before, ever! He was a Malfoy. People didn't put Malfoys in their place. Scorpius looked to Albus for help, but found himself on the receiving end of Al's glare.

"Save it Scorp. I'm not going to help you out of this one. You hurt Rose, so you're going to be the one who has to fix it, if it can be fixed." Al told Scorpius solemnly. "Hadrian is right. It's not fair what you're doing to Rose. You can't reject her and tell her you don't love her, and then accuse her of things that just aren't true. It's not her fault if you're confused and jealous. You need to figure out what it is that you want. When you figure it out, come and find us." Al told Scorpius before he too headed upstairs.

"I'm not jealous." Scorpius said to himself as he thought about how he could fix what he had broken.

"Sure you aren't deary." The mirror above the mantle place said unconvincingly.

Now that that was all said and done, Scorpius felt like the biggest prat on the planet. He had overreacted, and treated one of his best friends like shit. He didn't know what to do, or even if he could fix what he had with Rose. All he knew was that this would be one of the worst Christmases ever.

* * *

Al found Lily, Mei, and Hadrian all crammed into the girl's room with Rose who it seemed had stopped crying. Instead of being sad, she had become angry.

"AL! I hope you gave Scorpius a piece of your mind! Who is he to accuse me of first, not being a good friend, and second of not being serious when I told him I loved him! I thought we were best friends! I thought he knew me better than this!" Rose said as she began to pace angrily. "Well, if this is how he's going to act from now on, then maybe we shouldn't be friends at all!"

Lily nodded in agreement while Al and Mei remained skeptical. Hadrian just remained silent, as he watched Rose's angry pacing.

"Who knew Scorpius would turn into a nice boy into an overly cocky jerk!" Lily said, angry on her cousin's behalf. "He doesn't deserve you!"

"I don't know Rose." Mei began uncertainly. "I think that you shouldn't make any rash decisions right now. You're too angry. The last thing you want to do is decide on something that you might seriously regret later."

This made Rose pause and think. Both Lily and Mei had brought up good points. If this was the person Scorpius was choosing to be, then he didn't deserve her, her friendship, or her love. But, if it was just a phase, or if Scorpius was going through a tough time that he had neglected to tell anyone like he had in first year, then Mei had a valid point. Rose didn't know what to do. She was to hurt and angry to think.

"Albus?" Rose asked questioningly. If there was one person Rose could count on to make good decisions, it was Albus.

Al didn't answer right away. He was thinking about the question seriously and objectively. After some deliberation, he answered. "I agree with Mei Rose. Even though Scorpius hurt you, you shouldn't just give up on him just yet. I mean, look at your mum and dad. Uncle Ron was really immature when he was our age, and he was also a jerk. He hurt your mum, and even though she was really mad at him, she ultimately forgave him. And now look at them. They're happily married and in love!"

Rose snorted. "Al, just because my parents worked out, doesn't mean that Scorpius and I will work out. Maybe this was fate showing me that we're better off as friends!" Rose said as she flopped down on her bed.

"You don't know that Rosie." Al said kindly.

"Yea, but I do know that Scorpius doesn't love me." Rose said sadly. "Not in the way I love him anyways."

"You're still young Rose. There might be more than one 'Mr. Right' out there for you." Lily added as she glanced in Hadrian's direction.

Hadrian had been staring at Rose with a concerned expression on his face the whole time he had been up here. Lily couldn't help but notice the way Hadrian looked at her cousin. She was willing to bet all of her chocolate frog cards that Hadrian had some romantic feelings for Rose.

Before Rose could respond, she was interrupted by the loud and carrying voice of Nana Weasley. "DINNER!" she yelled up the stairs.

"Oh yay!" Albus said excitedly. "This means that the folks are home from work, and that we can start eating!" and with that, Albus Potter sprinted down the stairs, almost knocking down an extremely annoyed Nana Weasley in the process, to the general humor of everyone else.

* * *

Dinner was a tense affair. It wasn't the usual laidback and warm gathering that they had had in the past. The only explanation that the adults could gather was that Rose and Scorpius weren't on speaking terms with each other.

This caused different reactions from the adults at the table. Ron was the only one who seemed somewhat pleased by the recent events while most of the other adults were glancing between Rose and Scorpius nervously. The older cousins were left to wonder what the hell had been going on since they had left Hogwarts.

"So..." Hermione began to break the awkward and tense silence that surrounded the table. "Why don't you tell me about yourself Hadrian?"

And with that, Hadrian launched into an explanation of who he was, what his interests were, and what he saw himself potentially doing once he finished Hogwarts. Hermione was paying rapt attention to him while Ron nodded approvingly in the background. This Hadrian fellow, despite him being a Slytherin, wasn't at all a bad kid. Much more suitable for his Rosie than the son of Draco Malfoy.

Conversation came to an awkward halt once again once Hadrian and Hermione had run out of things to talk about. Al blurted out the first thing that came to his mind in order to start another conversation.

"I think there was a strange man watching us on the train platform when we got picked up." Al said.

This pronouncement was met with mixed reactions. Harry who was in mid-swallow, choked and then spit his drink out across the table into Ron's face, much to Ron's disgust and Ginny's embarrassment. Hermione whipped her head around so fast that she ended up getting Scorpius' forkful of food stuck in her bushy hair. Rose, Scorpius, Mei, and Lily all looked at Al in shock, since he hadn't told any of them about seeing a man on the train station, while the rest of the adults all looked confused.

"I'm sorry, you what?!" Harry asked of his son once he was able to breathe again.

"I said I thought I saw a man watching our and the Malfoy family the whole time we were at the station. He was partially hidden behind one of the barriers. He watched the whole interaction between Uncle Ron and Scorp's Dad with what looked like amusement. At first I thought he was someone's Dad, but he disapparated without a kid, so now I'm thinking that that wasn't the case." Albus told his father who had a serious expression on his face.

"What did he look like?" Harry asked in all seriousness. Apparently this was more serious than he had thought.

"I'm not sure. He had on a trench coat with an upturned collar, and he was wearing a hat that covered most of his face. I couldn't really make out any definite details." Al told his Dad apologetically.

"Hmmm." was all Harry said in response. He was too busy making sense of what Al had just told him.

Over the last week, the Auror office had been swarmed with people calling in to say that they felt they were being watched. Most of these were the families of former and reformed death eaters, although some had been from members of the Order. If what Al and everyone else had said was true, then people were indeed being watched. This meant that the Auror office needed to step up their search for the Brotherhood, before they managed to become too familiar with the habits and people they were watching.

But first, Harry was going to make sure that his family was well protected. He remembered what Draco had said when he had first informed him of the Brotherhood. That they would most likely be fighting a war of attrition, and that no one, on either side would be safe.

* * *

The Christmas party at the Burrow was in full swing. Every member of the Weasley/Potter family, along with their numerous friends were packed into the crowded house. Rose wouldn't have it any other way.

She was sitting on the sofa with Hadrian as they compared their latest Weasley sweaters. Nana Molly had taken an extreme liking to Hadrian, and had spent the rest of Christmas Eve knitting him his very own Christmas sweater! Now all of Rose's friends had their own sweaters, and were thus made honorable members of the Weasley household.

Hadrian's sweater was the emerald green of Slytherin. The letter 'H', had likewise been stitched on in silver. Rose's sweater on the other hand matched her eyes. In the center was a lovely red rose. Rose adored her sweater. It was much nicer than the ones she had gotten in previous years which had been plain colored with the letter 'R' on them.

Rose and Hadrian's conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Scorpius, who looked like he was hiding something behind his back.

Rose looked up at him warily.

"Rose, I wanted to apologize for this last week. Really apologize this time." Scorpius said when Rose still looked wary. "What I said to you was something that you should never have had to hear, and for that I'm truly sorry. I hope that in time, you can forgive me." Scorpius finished by holding out Rose's present as a peace offering.

Rose took the present, and then began to open it. Inside the wrapping was a box from the most exclusive wizarding jewelry story, Charmed. Rose could only gape at what was inside the box. Scorpius had gotten her this beautiful gold necklace, with a beautiful ruby rose hanging from the chain. It was so beautiful, that it left Rose speechless.

"I actually picked this out a while ago, over the summer. I saw it in the store, and immediately thought of you. I hope you like it, and don't think it's too cliché or anything." Scorpius said shyly.

Rose took the necklace out and held it up for Scorpius to take. "Put this on me please." Rose asked softly.

Scorpius did as Rose asked. After he was done, Rose turned in his arm, and gave him the tightest hug he had ever received. Although surprised at first, Scorpius then returned the hug with more vigor, as he buried his head in Rose's soft and sweet smelling hair.

Rose was the first one to pull of the hug, Scorpius noticed disappointedly. For some reason, he hadn't wanted the hug to end. Rose then stood up on her tip toes and kissed Scorpius on the cheek. This caused Scorpius to blush, although he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Rose had kissed him on the cheek before.

"Thank you." Rose whispered in his ear. And then, she gave him the best Christmas present he could have asked for; her forgiveness.

* * *

Mei couldn't help but smile as she watched Scorpius and Rose talk together for the first time in a little over a week. Everything would turn out to be fine. Mei's musings were interrupted by the arrival of Al, who was also looking over at Rose and Scorpius. But he didn't look as happy as she felt.

"I kind of wish she didn't forgive him so easily. She should have made him sweat it out a bit more." Al said as he watched Scorpius join Rose and Hadrian on the sofa.

Scorpius was now talking to Hadrian. It looked like he was apologizing for everything he had said last night.

"I don't know. Sometimes love is enough to wash away the hurt." Mei replied cryptically as she glanced over at Al.

But Al wasn't paying attention. He was too busy studying Rose, Scorpius, and Hadrian. Mei couldn't help but sigh. She had been in love with Albus Potter since she had met him in first year. Not that Al had noticed. He only thought of her as Rose's best friend. And why would he notice? He had much prettier girls fawning all over him every day.

Mei turned to go and get another drink, but found that she couldn't move. That's odd. She turned to Al and asked him if he knew why she wasn't able to move away.

Al's face paled. While Mei might not know why she couldn't move, Al most certainly did. As he looked up, his suspicions were confirmed. Magical Mistletoe had congregated above their heads while they were talking. This made Al nervous.

Mei looked up as understanding flowed across her pretty features. But then she frowned once she saw Al's nervousness. She mistook his nervousness for him not wanting to kiss her.

It's not that Al didn't want to kiss her, it was that he didn't know how. Contrary to popular belief, and what some girls claimed, Albus Potter had never kissed a girl or been kissed. This would be a first for him, and that was enough to make anyone sweat.

"You don't have to kiss me if you don't want to." Mei said dejectedly.

As she turned to get someone's attention to let them out from under the mistletoe, Al suddenly grabbed her and placed his mouth over hers.

Whoa. That was the only thought Mei had before her mind floated away to some happy place. All that she could focus on was the feel of Al's soft lips on hers, and the way the kiss was making her feel.

All too soon the kiss ended. Mei opened her eyes to see a red-face Al slowly back away before full on sprinting in the other direction.

This made Mei sigh sadly as tears pricked her eyes. As she slipped up the stairs by herself, she couldn't help but wonder if she was a horrible kisser, or if it was just her that Al was running from.

* * *

**Please review! Let me know what you think of Scorpius? Of Rose? Of Hadrian? Of Hadrian/Rose? I think I might have them be together for a while while Scorpius is with Melissa. That way, when he see's Rose with another guy, he'll begin to realize what's missing, and that what he wants the most was right in front of him the whole time.** What about Mei/Albus? Why do you think Albus ran away? Should he and Mei get together? And what about Lily and Lysander? Should I have them get together a little later as well? Let me know what you think! You're opinions and comments mean a lot to me!

You can let me know what you think by writing a review or PMing me! :)


	13. OF STRESS AND SOLUTIONS

***GUYS I FIGURED OUT HOW YOU CAN SEE THE PICTURES! IF YOU GO TO MY PROFILE, YOU'LL SEE THAT I POSTED LINKS TO ALL OF THE CHARACTERS' PICTURES! HIGHLIGHT THE WHOLE LINK, RIGHT CLICK, AND THEN CHOOSE THE OPTION THAT SAYS TAKE YOU TO THE LINK. UNFORTUNATELY ALL OF THE PICTURES ARE SMALL, BUT YOU'LL STILL BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT I'M PICTURING WHEN I WRITE THE CHARACTERS!***

**LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THEY LOOK! WERE THEY HOW YOU IMAGINED THEM TO BE?**

**LOVE YOU ALL xo ;)**

* * *

Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing! I love you all! :)

**Once again, everything belongs to J.K. Rowling!**

* * *

After the Christmas holidays passed, time seemed to fly by. Before they knew it, it was the last week of May, and OWLS were beginning the following week. This realization had all of the 5th years panicking and attempting to study as much as they could in the small amount of time before the exams started. Tensions were high, and everyone was stressed, especially Rose Weasley.

Rose had spent all of her waking moments when she wasn't in class in the library since term had resumed in January after the holidays. She would spend all of her moments with her nose in a book while reviewing notes and spells that she had studiously written down in class. Often times, she would be so frazzled that she would forget to eat and perform her basic humanly functions such as brushing her hair.

This was met with amusement from Al, Hadrian, and Scorpius. This had caused the latter to compare her hair to a "bee hive on fire." While Al and Hadrian appeared amused by that less than complementary comparison, Rose was livid. How dare he make fun of her hair! She needed to revise for the OWLs! She had more important things to worry about than her hair! What happened next whipped the look of mirth of f of Scorpius' face.

"Oppugno!" Rose screamed while pointing her want at Scorpius' laughing face.

All of a sudden, a flock of canaries flew out of her wand and started to peck every inch of available skin they could get. While Scorpius was shrieking and attempting to rid himself of the birds, Rose just smirked. It served him right after all.

"Ouch! Ow, get them off me! ROSE!" Scorpius yelled as he was being mercilessly attacked. "Call them off!"

"Now why would I do that?" Rose asked sweetly. "After all, you deserve it."

"Ok, I'm sorry! Just please call them off!" Scorpius pleaded.

Rose just rolled her eyes. "Are you a wizard or what? Just use your wand and vanish them!" Rose said before turning and walking away. She had already wasted too much time. She should have been at the library ten minutes ago! Now she was behind schedule! Stupid Scorpius.

Scorpius just stared blankly after Rose's retreating figure before remembering what she had told him. With a last vicious look at the canaries, Scorpius vanished them. "What's her problem? I was just joking. Usually she's fine and gives them right back! Why'd she go berserk this time?" Scorpius questioned as he looked at Al and Hadrian for answers.

"Mate, it's exams week. You know how Rose is like." Al said. Hadrian just nodded his agreement.

"She could loosen up a little…" Scorpius mumbled as he examined the damage the birds had done.

Al snorted. "Try telling that to Rose!"

Scorpius looked up incredulously. "And risk being attacked again? No thanks."

Before the boys could say anything else, they were interrupted by the arrival of Scorpius' annoying girlfriend Melissa.

"Scooorrrrrpy!" she squealed as she threw herself at Scorpius.

Al and Hadrian exchanged looks. They didn't understand why Scorpius put up with her. She wasn't even that attractive; personality or look-wise. Although, to give Scorpius credit, Melissa did act differently around him than she did around everyone else. Scorpius never did see Melissa's less than stellar side.

"Hi." Scorpius said a bit uncomfortably. He wasn't one for PDA, and Melissa was currently wrapped around him like a snake.

"Oh, Scorpy! I was looking everywhere for you!" Melissa said while batting her lashes. "But! What happened to you? Why are you covered in marks?!" she asked with an exaggerated gasp.

"It's nothing. Rose and I just had a minor disagreement. She used one of her spells that cast birds at me." Scorpius said.

"WHAT?! How dare that bitch hurt my Scorpy! That's it! I don't want you hanging around her anymore! She's obviously no good!" Melissa said as she flipped her hair back angrily.

Al and Hadrian opened their mouth to defend Rose. While they respected Scorpius' right to have an annoying and sometimes mean girlfriend, they drew the line when said girlfriend called their cousin/friend a bitch.

But Scorpius beat them to it. "Rose is my best friend. I don't want to hear you say something like that ever again. Do you understand?" Scorpius asked in a dangerously low voice.

Melissa just looked stunned. Scorpius had never talked to her that way before! It was all that bitch Rose's fault. She would get her!

Before Melissa could defend herself, Scorpius continued. "And I'm not going to stop hanging out with her. I know you and Rose don't see eye to eye, but for my sake you could at least try and get along. Rose doesn't say anything bad about you!" Scorpius said as he looked at his girlfriend with distaste.

Melissa blushed and internally grimaced. Damn Rose for making her look bad in front of Scorpius. "You're right. That was rude of me. I was just so upset about you being hurt that it just slipped out!" Melissa said in the most innocent and convincing voice she could muster.

It must have been convincing, for Scorpius just nodded at her. Melissa knew that she had a lot of sucking up to do before she was back in Scorpius' good graces, but at least he had forgiven her. As she hugged Scorpius, Melissa couldn't help but smirk. She would get back at Rose, in a way that would hurt her the most.

* * *

Rose was heading down to lunch two days before exams. Why was she even getting lunch? She should be studying! Rose turned around and headed towards the library when she heard crying coming from the girls bathroom. It wasn't just any bathroom either, it was Myrtle's. But the person crying didn't sound like Myrtle, so Rose decided to investigate. She was a prefect after all, and it was her duty to make sure everyone was ok.

Rose pushed open the bathroom door as quietly as she could. Rose gasped once she saw who was crying. Mei was standing in front of one of the sinks bawling her eyes out while Myrtle was making funny faces behind her.

Rose rushed over to Mei's side and enveloped her in a tight hug. Mei stiffened at first, but then relaxed when she realized it was just Rose.

"Mei! Are you all right?" Rose asked worriedly. She tried to think of why Mei could be crying. Now that she thought of it, she had only seen Mei at mealtimes and in classes. She was never around during free time, which was a red flag in itself. Rose mentally cursed herself. If she hadn't been so absorbed with studying, she would have realized that something was wrong sooner.

"He… he hates me! Rose, I love him and he hates me!" Mei wailed as she started sobbing even louder.

Rose was stumped. Who did Mei love? The only person that Mei had ever liked was Albus… ALBUS! If he did something…

"Mei, are you talking about Albus?" Rose questioned.

"Yes! We kissed at the Christmas party under the mistletoe!" Mei said as she looked at Rose through tear stained eyes. "It was wonderful! It was the best moment of my life! But after it was over he ran away, and he's been avoiding me ever since!" Mei said as fresh tears sprang up in her eyes.

Rose was going to KILL Albus. She knew Albus liked Mei. It was obvious in the way he would look at her and blush whenever she was near. But Rose hadn't known that they had kissed! But, now that she thought about it, Al's interest in Mei did seem to start after the holidays…

"Mei…" Rose began soothingly. "I'm sure that Albus doesn't hate you…"

"But he ran away! Who runs away after they kiss someone!" Mei said hysterically. "Oh no… Maybe I'm just a bad kisser!"

"I'm sure that's not true Mei! Al probably ran away because he was embarrassed and didn't know what to do! You were his first kiss!" Rose said as she tried to get Mei to stop hiding behind her hands.

That got the desired effect. Mei looked up and gasped. "I was his first kiss? But… I've heard other girls say that they've kissed him!" Mei said confused.

Rose just snorted. "Those girls were lying. Trust me. Al and I talk about everything. And he said that he'd never kissed a girl. He was waiting for the right one." Rose said as she put emphasis on the words 'right one.'

This caused Mei to let out a little smile. This made Rose smile. She hated seeing her friends upset.

"So you think I might be the right one then?" Mei asked tentatively.

"I think you might! Al wouldn't have kissed you unless he thought you were someone special. He could've gotten someone to free you from the mistletoe, but he didn't!" Rose said brightly.

"I guess I've been a bit ridiculous…" Mei said sheepishly. "I could've tried harder to talk to Al, instead of just jumping to conclusions."

"That's the spirit!" Rose said. "Now why don't we get you cleaned up! I wouldn't be a proper friend if I let you leave with your face looking like that!" Rose joked.

"I could say the same about your hair!" Mei joked. "Seriously Rose! Have you not brushed your hair in a month?!"

Rose blushed. She probably hadn't brushed her hair in a month, but it was the month before OWLs! Rose said as much as she tried to defend herself.

Mei just burst out laughing. When she regained herself she said, "Well at least you're wearing the clothes we got you!"

And with that, the two friends left the bathroom arm in arm, laughing and making jokes at each other's expense. For the first time in months, the OWLs were the last thing on Rose's mind.

* * *

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER!" an annoyed Rose Weasley said as she stormed across the grounds to the tree that Al, Scorp, and Hadrian were studying under. "YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!"

Al gulped and then shared glances with the other guys. What had he done?! "Er, Rose! Why are you yelling? What did I do?!" Al asked somewhat panicky as he held up his arms in defense. He didn't want to be on the wrong side of Rose's wrath. At least not after what had happened to Scorpius…

"It's more like what you haven't done!" Rose said as she glared at Al and crossed her arms.

Al was totally confused. And he told Rose that much.

Rose rolled her eyes. Boys could be so thick sometimes! "Does the name Mei Corner ring any bells?" Rose asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Al blushed. "Well, erm, you see…" Al stammered.

"How could you not tell me Al! We tell each other everything!" Rose exclaimed.

Scorp and Hadrian watched the conversation, but found that they couldn't follow. "Ermm, what are you talking about Rose?" Scorp asked.

"I'm talking about how Al kissed Mei over the holidays! And how now he fancies her!" Rose said. "Oh, and we can't forget about how she said you've been ignoring her ever since." Rose said the last part crossly.

"What! I haven't been ignoring her! She's been ignoring me!" Al said.

"Really? Because she thinks that YOU are the one ignoring her!" Rose said.

"Oh…" Al said as he got a far off look in his eyes. "I'll just have to fix that!" he said as he stood up and started heading towards the castle.

Rose watched Al leave with a smile on her face. It looked like both Mei and Al would get their happy ending after all.

"Uh, Rose?" Scorp began questioningly. "Not to bother you or anything, but we still don't know what you're talking about." Scorpius said confused.

Rose just sighed and sat down between the two boys outside of her family that she cared the most for and started to explain about Mei and Al.

* * *

"Hey! What did you guys get for 30a?" Rose asked anxiously as she left the final exam room with Scorp, Mei, and Al. "It was the one about Patronuses. I'm not sure I explained their form right!"

"Rose relax!" Albus said. "You're the only one in our year who can produce a Patronus! Even if you got that answer wrong, which I'm sure you didn't, you still got extra credit for producing the Patronus on the practical!"

Mei nodded in agreement from her place next to Albus. After Rose had confronted him, Al had gone to find Mei and clear up the misunderstandings between them. Their conversation must have gone well, for they were holding hands.

"Seriously Rose! Our exams are over! Don't stress about them again until you get your grades!" Scorpius chided.

Rose was about to respond, but was cut off by the arrival of Hadrian. "Hey guys! Congrats on finishing your exams!"

"Thanks man!" Scorp said as he clapped Hadrian on the shoulder.

The five of them headed towards the Great Hall for their last dinner before term officially ended.

Rose was about to go in when Hadrian tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Rose, can I talk to you for a minute?" Hadrian asked nervously.

"Sure!" Rose responded as she followed him to an adjacent hallway. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well… I guess I just wanted to tell you that I think you're great, and I really like you!" Hadrian said as he looked Rose in the eye.

"I really like you too Hadrian! You've been a great friend." Rose said smiling.

"Thanks Rose." Hadrian said with a chuckle. "But I meant that I like you more than a friend. I'd like to go out with you, if you'll have me." Hadrian said.

Rose was speechless. Was Hadrian asking her out?! She hadn't seen this coming. Hadrian was a great guy and a great friend, but did she have feelings other than friendly affections towards him? Rose wasn't sure…

"Look, I know you told me that you love Scorpius, but he's still with Melissa. I'm not asking you to declare your love for me or anything. I guess I just want a chance! If you absolutely hate being with me, we can go back to being friends! No hard feelings!" Hadrian said once Rose didn't respond.

Rose thought about what he said. She did still love Scorpius, but Hadrian was right. He still was with Melissa… He had never given any signs that he wanted to be more than friends, so her love was one-sided. Besides, Hadrian was so nice and cute! Oh what the heck. Hadrian did deserve a chance. And maybe she would grow to love him!

"Hadrian, I'd love to go out with you!" Rose said sincerely.

Hadrian's face split into a wide grin. "Thank God! I've liked you since the beginning of the year!" he said laughing.

This caused Rose to laugh. "Should we tell everyone?" Rose asked.

"Nah, I think we should keep it between us for a bit." Hadrian asked truthfully.

"Ok!" Rose said happily.

As she and Hadrian walked into the Great Hall, Rose couldn't help but smile. She couldn't think of a better way to end her year!

* * *

**Please review! :)**

**Also, if you would like to submit any Scorose prompts... PM me! ;)**


	14. OF HORMONES AND CONFUSION

Sorry it's been so long since I updated! I've just gotten over being sick, and on top of that, my homework load has been awful. One word: college. SO heads up everyone. I will definitely finish this story and update as soon as I am able to, but don't expect daily updates anymore. Unless my homework load is light, I will only be able to update once a week.

On another note, has anyone checked out my profile and clicked on the character pictures? I've gotten some more reviews (thank you and love you all!), but none of them have said anything about liking or disliking my vision of what each character looks like.

**And as always, everything HP related belongs to J.K. Rowling**

* * *

It was the week before fall term started, and Rose couldn't be happier. She was on her way to Malfoy Manor with her cousin Al, her best friend Mei, and Hadrian, her boyfriend of three months. This was the first time that the group was seeing their mutual best friend Scorpius since the term had ended.

Apparently Draco and Astoria had decided that the Malfoy family would be going on an exclusive, all-wizarding around the world cruise that would last basically all of the summer holidays. The cruise was old-fashioned, in that all outside contact, including letters, was forbidden. So Rose and her friends hadn't heard from Scorpius all summer, and vice versa, and they needed to do some serious catching up.

"It was so nice of the Malfoy's to invite us to stay at their place for the rest of summer!" Rose said excitedly. The last time she had been to Scorpius' house was during her second year.

"I know! I can't wait to see Scorp!" Al said with a grin.

After walking through the gate and the front gardens, they arrived at an impressive set of double doors. Before anyone could knock, they were flung open by an excited Scorpius who launched himself at all of them.

"Thank God you're here! I was going crazy all summer, with just my parents and no outside contact!" Scorpius said rather dramatically.

This caused Rose to giggle. It was such typical Scorpius behavior. "How was your summer?" Rose asked him once hugs had been exchanged.

"It was good, but let's go inside first!" Scorpius said as he led the way through the maze of hallways towards his room. "Alright, girls, you'll be staying in these two rooms, and you two guys will be right next to my room." Scorpius said as he gestured to the respective rooms.

After everyone had settled into their rooms, they met in Scorpius' bedroom to go over how their summers had been. Scorpius took explained how although he liked the cruise and being with his parents, it could be kind of lonesome with no other kids his age. It had either been elderly couples, or wizarding families with younger children.

When it was their turn to explain how their summers had been, Al acted as spokesperson for the lot. The four of them had hung out together all summer, going to movies, the beach, and just hanging out in general. They were best friends, but they were also new couples. They took the summer as a trial time to see how they would work together.

When Al got to the part about them all being couples, Scorpius held up his hand to stop him. "Whoa buddy. What do you mean by new couples? I know you and Mei got together at the end of last year, but who else are you talking about?" Scorpius asked genuinely puzzled.

"He's talking about me and Hadrian." Rose said as Hadrian slipped his arm around Rose's waist and gave it a comforting squeeze. "We also got together at the end of last year, we just didn't tell everyone right away. I wanted to tell you Scorpius, but I couldn't because of the stupid cruise rules." Rose explained.

Many emotions crossed Scorpius' face while Rose was talking, among which were confusion, disappointment, and a hint of jealousy. Scorpius didn't know what to think. Hearing that Rose and Hadrian were together was a bit of a surprise. It's not that he thought Rose wasn't pretty or datable, it was just that he had never really given it more than a fleeting thought. But now, Rose had a boyfriend, and he really didn't know how he felt about it.

"Uh, Scorp? You there buddy?" Al asked as he waved his hand in front of Scorpius' face.

"Uh, huh?" Scorpius asked a bit confused. He had sort of spaced out of the conversation. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I didn't say anything mate!" Al said. "But Rose asked if you were mad at her because you were scowling and not saying anything."

Scorpius refocused on Rose, who had a nervous look etched across her pretty face. Scorpius smiled reassuringly at her. "Sorry Rose. I'm not mad. You just caught me by surprise! I was just thinking was all." Scorpius said appeasingly.

Rose breathed an audible sigh of release, and went over to hug Scorpius. "Thank you for understanding and not getting mad." she said as she leaned into his chest.

Scorpius hugged her back, tightly. Merlin he had missed her! He just didn't realize how much until Rose had wrapped her arms around him. Scorpius inhaled and was met with the smell of raspberries and daffodils.

Rose pulled away all too soon in Scorpius' opinion as it was late in the day, and they all needed to get to bed. He scowled again as he watched Hadrian wrap his arm around her as they exited his room. He wanted to be the one to have his arm around her! Wait- where did that thought come from?

Scorpius shook his head in bewilderment as he began to get ready for bed. He didn't have feelings for Rose, did he? No, they must just be best friend feelings. Any best friend wouldn't want his best girlfriend to be going out with some other guy. Scorpius nodded to himself as he attempted to rationalize the strange feelings and thoughts that were suddenly assaulting him as he attempted to sleep.

* * *

Scorpius was woken up when someone unceremoniously belly flopped onto him. Scorpius flailed his arms at his attacker and prepared to scream. Before he could, a small hand was stuffed into his mouth.

Choking, Scorpius' eyes snapped open only to look into the beautiful eyes of one Rose Nymphadora Weasley, who, unlike him was fully clothed and ready for the day.

"Shit Rose!" Scorpius said as he yanked his blankets up to his chest. This caused Rose to tumble off his bed and land in an adorable heap on the floor. Scorpius didn't know why, but having Rose on top of him suddenly took on a whole new meaning. It wasn't just a funny way to wake him up anymore. And besides, Rose had woken him up from a very vivid and erotic dream that had actually involved her. Scorpius didn't want her to feel the evidence of that dream as he was embarrassed enough for having dreamt of her instead of his girlfriend in the first place.

"Ow, Scorpius!" Rose said as she sat up and rubbed the back of her head. "Could you have been more gentle? That bloody hurt!"

Scorpius tried to speak, but found that he couldn't. Scorpius cleared his throat before saying, "I don't think you should wake me up like that anymore."

"Why?" Rose asked puzzled. "I've woken you up like that since the second year! It's the only way I can get you and Al up half the time!"

"Yea, but now you have a boyfriend!" Scorpius said.

"Oh Scorpius." Rose said. "This doesn't mean anything! I know I told you that I love you, but I've decided to give up and move on! I'm with Hadrian now!" Rose explained. Well, it was mostly true anyways. She was with Hadrian, and she did genuinely like him a lot (she could easily see herself falling in love with him eventually), but at the same time part of her still loved Scorpius. She doubted if that that part of her would ever stop loving him.

Scorpius managed a weak attempt at a smile. He figured it was actually more of a grimace. Scorpius couldn't help but feel a pang of longing and regret pass through him as Rose said that she was giving up and moving on. It was unsettling to say the least.

Rose sighed and stood up. "Well, you're up now… I should go and wake Hadrian as Mei and Albus are already up and getting ready." she said as she left his room.

Scorpius just flopped back down on his bed. As he rubbed his hands over his eyes, he couldn't help but wonder just what the hell was happening to him.

* * *

Before they knew it, school had arrived. After saying goodbye to the Malfoys, they all boarded the train. Hadrian had been made Head Boy. Rose couldn't be happier for him. He was truly a good guy, and if any 7th year deserved it, it was Hadrian. The Head Girl's name was Betty Meyers, a nice girl from Hufflepuff.

Rose, Scorpius, and Hadrian separated from Al and Mei as they all walked to the prefect cart for the meeting, where both the Head Boy and Head Girl went over the rounds and details of each prefect's job.

After the meeting, the trio went back to their compartment where Al and Mei were interlocked in a furious snog. Hadrian cleared his throat pointedly, and Al and Mei sprung apart with identical blushes.

"Hey guys! Didn't realize you'd be back so soon!" Al said with a nervous chuckle.

Before anyone could say anything, they were interrupted by the arrival of an irate Melissa. "Scorpy! How dare you not say hi to me the moment you got back!" Melissa said accusingly.

Sensing the oncoming tantrum, Rose and Hadrian made their escape into the compartment. Better to be as far away as possible because Melissa tended to get loud when she was made.

"Melissa, I sent you a letter explaining that I would be spending the week catching up with my friends, and that we could sit together at the feast tonight." Scorpius said in an impressively calm manner.

"So! I'm your GIRLFRIEND. You should have wanted to see me before you saw HER!" Melissa said as she pointed accusingly at Rose.

"Melissa, I didn't just see Rose. I saw Mei, Albus, and Hadrian too! And please stop yelling and making untrue accusations. You're just embarrassing yourself." Scorpius said wearily.

Melissa's mouth dropped open in surprise. Embarrassing herself! What nerve! He should be begging for forgiveness for wronging her, not accusing her of being an embarrassment!

"Let's talk later, when you've calmed down a bit." Scorpius said as he planted a kiss on her cheek before he went into his compartment and closed the door.

Melissa just stood there stunned. This was all her fault! Rose Weasley. She had changed herself so that Scorpius would notice her, and it was working! Scorpius seemed to be glancing her way more and more. Melissa had noticed this last year too, even if Scorpius hadn't realized it himself. Rose Weasley would pay, and Melissa would use both Scorpius, and Hadrian (Rose's rumored boyfriend) to get her way.

* * *

This one is kind of short, but I loved writing confused and hormonal Scorpius. Damn you hormones! Uh-oh, better watch your back Rose (Scorpius and Hadrian too), I've heard jealousy is a bitch!

Stay tuned! Next chapter will jump a head a bit, and see what "revenge" Melissa has in mind!

Please review. Love you all! Thanks for sticking with me.


	15. OF HOOK UPS AND BREAK UPS

Thank you for all of your reviews. It has come to my attention that some of you might find it distracting for me to keep asking you to review. So, from now on, I will stop asking you, and trust that you'll do it of your own accord if you so choose to. I would like to thank the person who brought this issue to my attention for being brave and letting me know how they felt about it, and for doing it in a polite way. So from now on, there wouldn't be long beginning notes, but I may add a few at the end to give hints as to what will happen in the next chapter!

All the best!

**All characters and settings and spells belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling**

* * *

Rose and Mei were walking to the library to get an early start on their homework for Christmas break when they crashed into an out of breath Lily Potter.

"There you guys are! I've been looking for you everywhere!" Lily managed between pants.

"What's up Lils?" Rose asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Tomorrow is the last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas holidays! We have to go tomorrow! I haven't bought anyone any presents!" Lily exclaimed.

Rose and Mei exchanged glances. Although she was extremely smart, Lily tended to procrastinate a lot. This sometimes reflected in her grades, which Rose found sad. Lily had so much potential, but sometimes her laziness would get the best of her.

"Lily, we already finished our Christmas shopping a while ago." Mei replied calmly.

At this, Lily groaned and placed her head in her hands. "Why did I wait so long to shop! Everyone I've talked to has already gone, and I don't want to go alone!" Lily said while giving the girls her infamous puppy dog gaze.

Rose sighed. Lily usually got her way, since she was the youngest female in the family. "Alright Lily, we'll go with you." Lily started cheering. "But, this means that you're actually going to buy presents. We're not going on a long shopping trip." Rose chided.

"Oh, you two are the best!" Lily squealed as she wrapped her arms around both girls. "Oh, where are you guys going?"

"To the library! Rose and I wanted to get a head start on all of our homework so we don't have to do any over break!" Mei said.

Lily looked at the girls incredulously. "You're doing homework? On a Friday night? And not just any Friday night, the night before break officially begins?!" Lily asked as if the notion of doing homework was highly offensive.

"Yes." Rose replied.

Lily just looked at them. Once she realized they were being serious, she sighed and shook her red hair from her face. "Rose, you know I love you, but sometimes I find it hard to believe that we're related!" and with that, Lily ran up the hall towards the Gryffindor dorms.

Rose just shook her head and smiled. Lily could be such the little drama queen.

* * *

The next day was cold but sunny, and the snow on the ground seemed to sparkle. Hogwarts at Christmas was truly magical. The girls all waved to Hagrid and Fang as they trudged down the drive towards Hogsmeade.

"Thanks again for coming with me!" Lily said as she twirled around in the snow. "What did you guys get everyone for Christmas?"

"I got Hadrian a new book. It's Defensive Magic Against the Darkest of Arts by Angelina Gowhard. Hadrian wants to be an Auror after graduating this year. He's already talked to Dad and Uncle Harry about it." Rose said.

"I got Albus a monogrammed pair of dragon hide Quidditch googles." Mei said.

"Oh, I wish I had a boyfriend!" Lily said as Rose and Mei told her what they had gotten their respective beaus. "But Lysander still doesn't see me as anything but a friend! And I've even gotten contacts!" Lily said as she pointed to her glasses-less eyes for emphasis.

Rose and Mei exchanged looks. While Lily was strong and confident in most aspects of life, she wasn't that confident when it came to boys.

"Lily, I know that you really like Lysander, but maybe you should go out with some other boys. You know, just to see if you might be interested in someone else. I mean, I was in love with Scorpius, but when he said he didn't love me, and Hadrian asked me out… Well, let's just say that I have strong feelings for Hadrian too! So maybe there is someone else out there for you too!" Rose said.

Lily looked at Rose contemplatively. "So you're telling me that you have no more feelings for Scorpius whatsoever?"

Rose blushed. Darn Weasley genes! "I, uh, I mean… Look, I really really like Hadrian. I don't know if I love him yet, but I do know that I feel strongly about him. And as for Scorpius, a part of me still does love him. And I think that that part will always be a part of me." Rose finished somewhat sadly.

"Rose, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Mei said comfortingly. "It's normal to have feelings for more than one guy, as long as you don't act on those feelings. Besides, a big part of you also likes Hadrian! You're smart and compassionate. You wouldn't do anything to jeopardize you're relationship."

Rose just smiled weakly. "So I'm not a bad person for still having feelings for Scorpius while I'm dating Hadrian?" Rose asked.

"No!" Lily exclaimed. "Like Mei said, you also like Hadrian! And you'd never act on your feelings with Scorpius while with someone else. Besides, you can't be perfect! This just means that you're human!"

"Thanks guys." Rose said sincerely as the trio reached the first shops. "So where do you want to go Lils?"

"Honeydukes!" Lily replied as she dragged the girls into the crowded store.

Hadrian was in the library writing an essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts when he was interrupted by a slight cough. Hadrian looked up and smiled.

* * *

"Rose! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Hogsmeade with Lily and Mei!" Hadrian said surprised but happy to see her.

"Oh, I changed my mind! It was too cold." Rose said as she shivered against an invisible breeze.

"Oh, well, I'm just finishing my essay here, but we could hang out as soon as I'm done!" Hadrian said as he went back to writing.

"Perfect." Rose said.

Hadrian smiled as he hurried to finish his essay. What he missed was the evil grin that stretched across Rose's face.

* * *

"Lily! Are we done yet?!" Rose asked as they were leaving what felt like the umpteenth store.

"Uh, almost! Why don't you guys go ahead to the Three Broomsticks! I, uh, just have to run one more errand!" Lily said as she pushed Rose and Mei out the door.

"Why did she do that?" Mei asked puzzled as they started towards the Three Broomsticks.

Rose just laughed. "That was Lily code for 'I need to buy your presents so leave now!'" Rose said as she stepped into the Three Broomsticks.

* * *

"Al!" Scorpius said suddenly as he held up his arm to halt Al in his steps.

"What Scorp?" Al asked irritably since he had to stop awkwardly on the steps down from the Owlery.

"Shhh!" Scorpius said while making shushing motions at Al. "Look, it's Hadrian! And he's with Rose!"

"So?" Al said as he attempted to step around Scorpius' arm. "Let's go say hi!"

"No!" Scorpius said as he once again blocked Albus. "That can't be Rose. I saw her leaving with Lily and Mei this morning. She said she was going to help Lily shop for presents. They can't have gotten back yet!" Scorpius said while studying Rose and Hadrian as they walked past where they were hidden.

"Rose, where are we going?" Hadrian asked as he laughed.

"In here! I was thinking about giving you an early Christmas present!" Rose said with a wink.

"You're present is a broom closet?" Hadrian asked amused.

"No silly! It's what'll happen inside that'll be your present!" Rose said with a giggle.

Al lowered his eyes dangerously as Hadrian and Rose disappeared inside the closet.

"Scorp, we have to do something! That's my cousin in there!" Al said half worried and half grossed out.

"I'm not so sure. I don't want to bust them in case it is really Rose, but something is telling me that's not really her…" Scorpius said. "Ugh, I wish there was a way we could know for sure!"

Al's eyes suddenly grew wide. "There is a way. C'mon!" Al said as he dragged Scorpius back to Ravenclaw tower.

* * *

Rose and Mei were sitting down sipping their butterbeers when Lily finally arrived. The only reason they could tell that it was Lily was through the traditional Weasley red hair that could just be seen over her mounds of bags.

"I am never waiting this long to do my shopping ever again! It's absolute madness!" Lily exclaimed as she plopped down in the seat across from them.

"Well, at least you learned your lesson!" Rose teased.

Lily's glare was cut off by the arrival of Brent Andrews, a fifth year Ravenclaw.

"Hi, Lily. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?" Brent asked nervously.

"Ahh, sure!" Lily said as she followed Brent to a more quiet corner.

Rose turned to Mei. "Do you think he's going to ask her out?"

"I think so!" Mei replied. "Brent is really nice, and he's cute! I think that Lily would enjoy going on a date with him!"

"But does she like him?" Rose asked. "I thought she only liked Lysander?"

"Well…" Mei began.

"Well what?" Rose asked.

"A few weeks ago when you were off with Hadrian, Lily came to me to tell me that she thought she might like two boys. One was obviously Lysander, but the other one she only described to me. And now that I think of it, that boy she describes could be Brent's twin!" Mei said excitedly as they turned to watch the scene unfold.

Brent seemed to ask Lily something, which caused Lily to blush a furious red. But then she answered Brent in an almost shy manor. Her answer caused Brent to blush but smile at the same time. And then after smiling awkwardly at each other Brent headed back towards his friends as Lily walked back towards the girls.

"Well?" Rose asked as Lily came back.

"Well, he ah, he asked me out." Lily said as she blushed again. "And I said yes!"

* * *

"Al, why are we back in our dorm?" Scorpius asked in confusion.

"Because of this!" Al said triumphantly as he finally found what he was looking for. It was a blank piece of paper.

"Al, are you daft? How will a blank piece of paper help us?" Scorpius asked incredulously.

"This isn't just any paper!" Al said offended. "It's the Maurader's Map!" When Scorpius only continued to look confused, Al decided to explain in more detail. And the best way to explain the map was to show it. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good." Al said to the map.

Scorpius' eyes grew wide with amazement as what looked to be a map of the entire school unfolded on the previously blank piece of paper. "Whoa!"

"You've got that right!" Al said somewhat smugly. "Now that James' gone, the map belongs to me! It shows you the whereabouts of everyone in the school! Now let's see…" Al said as he searched the map.

All of a sudden Al's face paled. And he brought the map closer to see if what he was seeing was correct.

"Well?" Scorpius asked somewhat impatiently.

"Uh, you know what? I think I can take care of this myself! It is my cousin after all!" Al said as he attempted to duck around Scorpius.

But Scorpius was too fast. He had known Al too long, and knew when Al lied. And unfortunately for Al, he sucked at lying. So Scorpius knew that Al was lying to him, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. He cared about Rose too!

"Al, wait, you're not leaving without me!" Scorpius said as he grabbed Al by the back of the neck.

"Oh yes I am!" Al said as he attempted to twist out of Scorpius' grasp.

Now Scorpius was just plain annoyed. "Sorry to do this mate, but your stubbornness has given me no choice. Petificus Totalis!"

Al's legs snapped together as he face planted on the floor. Scorpius hurried to turn him over only to meet the glaring eyes of Albus Severus Potter. Scorpius knew he was in trouble, but he was more interested in seeing for himself what was on the map that had made Al lie.

Scorpius didn't have to search far, but what he saw made his heart stop. Then, a rage like he had never known came alive in his chest. The map that never lied showed that Hadrian was currently in the broom closet with no other than his girlfriend, Melissa. Or, ex-girlfriend, Scorpius thought furiously as he dropped the map on Al's frozen face and rushed out the door.

* * *

"Wow, Rose! That was amazing!" Hadrian said smiling as they were pulling on their clothes. "You're truly one of a kind! But what made you change your mind? We'd talked about having sex, but I thought that you wanted to wait? So, what changed your mind?"

"Uh… I guess that I just really wanted to show you how much I love you!" Rose said as she finished pulling her sweatshirt over her head.

Before Hadrian could respond, the door was swung open with a bang. After recovering from their initial fright, Hadrian and Rose looked to see who had opened the door. Illuminated in the door was an extremely pissed off Scorpius Malfoy. Hadrian couldn't help but notice that all of his ire was aimed at the steadily paling Rose.

Without thinking, Hadrian placed himself between Rose and the fuming Scorpius. "Scorp, what's wrong with you? Calm down!" Hadrian said as he tried to appease Scorpius. "You're scaring Rose!"

"That's not Rose." Scorpius said dangerously.

"What are you talking about?" Hadrian asked confused.

"I don't know. Why don't you tell him, Melissa." Scorpius said with the signature Malfoy sneer.

"What?" Hadrian asked as he turned around. Instead of seeing Rose, he was greeted by the sight of a half-transformed Melissa. "What the fuck?!" Hadrian asked as he leaped back in shock. "Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! No, this did not just happen!" Hadrian said as he sank down to the floor.

Scorpius took Hadrian's retreat as his opportunity to strike. While Hadrian was elsewise occupied trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened, Scorpius had marched up to Melissa and had pinned her to the wall of the closet.

"Scorpius, I can explain. Please!" Melissa said as the last effects of the Polyjuice Potion ran out. "You're hurting me!" Melissa cried out as Scorpius only tightened his arm.

But Scorpius was beyond caring at this point. All he could focus on was the fact that someone he trusted and cared about, turned out to be the bitch that everyone else had said she was. Since she was his girlfriend, Scorpius was inclined to believe the best of her. But not anymore. She had gone too far. Not only had she hurt him, she had hurt Rose, one of the few people he genuinely cared about and who cared about him.

"What the fuck did you do you bitch?" Scorpius asked through clamped teeth.

"Scorpius! Mate, put her down! It's not worth it." Al said as he had finally caught up after the spell had worn off.

"Back off Potter. This doesn't concern you." Scorpius growled without taking his eyes off Melissa's face.

"I think that you'll find that it does, Malfoy." Al retorted just as angry. "I care about Rose too! She's my cousin! As much as I want her to pay, hurting her will just get you into trouble!" Al said as he tried to reason with Scorpius.

Scorpius closed his eyes and took several deep and calming breaths. After he had gained some semblance of control, he slowly let go of Melissa, who took her opportunity to hide behind Al.

"Just because I said he couldn't hurt you doesn't mean you're off the hook!" Al said as he turned to Melissa.

Melissa just hung her head. Her plan was perfect, but somehow they had found out! Where did she go wrong?

"Scorpius, I did this for you, for us! I thought it would make our relationship stronger!" Melissa said as she appealed to Scorpius.

But Scorpius had learned his lesson. Melissa couldn't fool him anymore. "And pray tell how cheating on me while pretending to be Rose would 'strengthen our relationship?'" Scorpius asked with a derisive snort.

"I just wanted you to pay more attention to me! All you talk about is Rose! You're always with her! I tried reasoning with you before remember? I told you that you should have paid more attention to me! But you didn't listen. I had to do something!" Melissa said.

"Well, I am paying attention to you now. And, now it's my turn to do something." Scorpius said as he glared at Melissa. "We're through. Over. Done. I never want to see your face again. If you so much as come near me, Rose, or any of my other friends, I will personally make sure you regret it with every fiber of your being. I'm a Malfoy dear. Don't think for a moment you could get away with this." Scorpius said meaning every word.

Melissa was just shocked. She had never been dumped before!

"I don't think you heard him, Melissa, but you're no longer welcome here." Al said as he came to stand behind Scorpius.

Melissa started to sob as she thought about how unfair this all was. Then she turned to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing." Scorpius said in a sickly sweet voice. "Not a word of this to anyone. Remember, I have connections." Scorpius said with a wink.

That just made Melissa cry even harder. But one thing was for sure, she didn't want to make Scorpius any madder. So, she would keep her silence. She would just tell everyone that she had broken up with Scorpius because he was bad in bed.

After Melissa left, Al turned to Scorpius questioningly. "We're not going to tell Rose?" Al asked.

Scorpius just shook his head and looked down at Hadrian who looked absolutely miserable. "Hey, it's not your fault. Melissa used Polyjuice Potion." Scorpius said kindly.

"I should have known. How can I even look at Rose now knowing that I slept with Melissa?" Hadrian asked sadly.

"In your defense, you did think that Melissa was Rose…" Scorpius said unconvincingly.

Al just stayed silent. He didn't know whether he should be made at Hadrian or not. On one hand, Melissa was the one who had tricked him, but still, he slept with another girl! And, as the trio left the privacy of the broom closet, Al couldn't help but think that they would all seriously regret not telling Rose about what had happened today.

* * *

Whoa, Melissa is such a b*tch! I don't know about you, but I think she got what she deserved! Due to language and the reference to sex and sexual escapades, I think I'm going to change the rating to M!

Hmmm, I wonder how Rose will react when she finds out what happened. We already have an end to Scorpius/Melissa (it's about bloody time!), but will this be the end of Rose/Hadrian?

Stay tuned! ;)


	16. OF BONDING AND BREAKS

**As always, everything belongs to J.K. Rowling**

Sorry for the long break! I'm very busy with college, so I have no idea when my next update will be. I just finished this long chapter and have ideas for new ones. But, we shall see. I have not given up on the story or forgotten you!

Thanks for reading! :)

* * *

Rose loved Christmas. Everything about it was truly wonderful! The delightful smell of Christmas cookies baking in the oven, the sight of all of the Christmas decorations, and Rose's new favorite, the Gnome Fashion show! After Fred and James had seen one of the gnomes being used as an ugly angel for the Christmas tree, they decided that it would be a riot to dress up more gnomes in equally horrendous outfits. After they had succeeded in catching the gnomes, which took a whole day since they apparently did not want to be caught, Fred and James had stuffed them into the outfits that Lily had so skillfully made. After the initial struggle, the gnomes seemed to realize that they were wearing clothes. Instead of trying to get out of them, the gnomes had begun to walk around the house while showing anyone they encountered their new outfits. And thus, the Gnome Fashion show was created. There were two kids to a gnome. The pair that had made the best outfit for the fashion show, which was judged by the adults, were given a free box full of WWW merchandise. Rose had never won before, but she was determined to win this year.

"No Al, Fred and James used the underwater theme last year! We can't dress our gnome up as a mermaid because Fred and James will just accuse us of copying them!" Rose said with growing frustration. Who knew it could be so bloody hard designing outfits?!

"Oh yea…" Al said distractedly.

Rose looked at Al through narrowed eyes. Al had been acting weird ever since the start of break, and Rose was determined to figure out why. "Knut for your thoughts?" Rose asked Al.

Al seemed to start. "Sorry Rose. Did you say something? I guess my mind has been elsewhere lately." Al said apologetically.

"I just want to know what you're thinking. You've been… off… since the start of break…" Rose said.

Al attempted to smile, but it ended giving him a look of immense constipation. "Off? HA! You worry to much Rosie!" Al said as he twiddled his thumbs.

"Rosie! Alright Al, enough games. You just proved to me that you're acting like an extreme weirdo." Rose said a bit irately.

Al just hung his head. Why couldn't he be better at lying? "It's something that I promised I wouldn't tell." Al finally said.

"Who did you promise?" Rose asked. Usually Al would tell her everything. Even stuff he wasn't supposed to because he knew that she would never tell anyone, and would usually give him sound advice.

"Ahh, I'm not sure I'm at liberty to even say that." Al said sheepishly.

Ok, Rose thought to herself. This must mean that whatever he wasn't supposed to tell was about her, or involved her in some way. But even more reason to tell her! Secrets can hurt people.

Rose told Al as much, and even used Lily's famous puppy dog gaze which Al, like everyone else in the family, was not immune to.

Al just sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Look Rose. I would tell you, but I'm afraid of hurting you." Al said sincerely.

"Al, I promise that it wouldn't hurt me. I'd rather know than not know! You know how not knowing things makes me anxious, especially if I'm involved in whatever it is this is!" Rose said as she tried reasoning with Al.

"GURAHHH!" Al finally managed. "I'll tell you, but I did warn you beforehand. Just don't be mad at me." Al pleaded.

"Al, why on earth would I be mad at you?! You haven't done anything!" Rose exclaimed utterly confused.

"That's the problem." Al said as he braced himself to tell Rose about what happened between Scorpius, Hadrian, and Melissa before the start of break.

* * *

While the various Weasley/Potter offspring were having lighthearted conversations and planning their gnome's outfits, the adults had congregated in the Burrow's kitchen.

"Any news Harry?" Hermione Weasley asked suddenly. Normally the abrupt change of topic would leave some people confused, but sadly everyone knew what Hermione was referring to.

Harry sighed and ran his hand over his face. "No. And that's what concerns me the most! We're using every last available resource that the Auror office has, but we still don't know a thing about the Brotherhood, other than it exists and is active underground! We don't know names, numbers, meeting places… We don't know anything!" Harry Potter exclaimed frustrated as Ginny rubbed soothing circles on his back. This was the only time he could show any emotions. Everywhere else he had to be HARRY POTTER, Hero of the Wizarding World. He had to be professional and always know what he was talking about. It could be rather stressful.

"Harry dear, you'll figure it out. I have faith in you." Molly Weasley I said.

Harry smiled in her direction. Molly Weasley was the mother that he never had, and he wouldn't be where he was without her kindness. "Thanks Molly. It can just be overwhelming at times." He said before turning and apologizing to Hermione for snapping.

"Harry, it's ok. We're here for you. We just want to know if you've heard anything, for the sake of the children." Hermione said as she placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"There have been a series of smaller attacks on people who played minor roles in the war, but nothing drastic. Nothing like what the Death Eaters used to do." Harry explained. "Hermione, these people confuse me! Are they evil or what? Why haven't they made a move yet? When our kids are still in school, and when the Auror office is struggling?"

Hermione sighed. She had puzzled over these questions herself late into the night. Unfortunately, these questions could not be found in a book. "Harry, I think that you're trying to stuff squares into circles. Good and evil are just relative terms that society gives meaning to. What is good to one person, might not be good to another. The same can be said of evil. I don't know whether or not these people are truly evil. I can say with conviction that they are making poor decisions that are hurting people, but they haven't directly killed anyone yet! I don't know Harry. This isn't like it was in the war. There is no Voldemort. There are no Death Eaters. The definitions that applied during the war can no longer apply to this situation." Hermione finished.

Her explanation was met with silence, and in some cases, confusion.

"Mione, you're too kind for your own good." Ron Weasley said as he looked at his wife in amazement.

"Always the tone of surprise." Hermione said jokingly.

Before the adults could finish conversing, they were joined by a lost looking Rose Weasley.

"Hey Rosie-Posey!" Ron said as he wrapped an arm around his daughter. Ron's goofy smile disappeared as Rose didn't answer. She hated being called Rosie-Posey. That should have gotten an eye-roll at least.

"Anything wrong dearie?" Nana Weasley asked her granddaughter in concern.

Rose didn't answer. Instead she looked at her mother and Aunt Ginny. "Mum, Aunt Ginny? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Rose asked quietly.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks. They weren't used to seeing Rose this way. It was concerning and a bit unnerving, to say the least.

"Sure sweetie, lead the way." Hermione said as she and Ginny turned to follow Rose from the room.

"I wonder what they was about." Percy said as the trio disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

Rose led her mother and aunt to the room she was sharing with Lily. Once there she unceremoniously through herself on the bed.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged another look. "What's wrong Rose?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione sat down on Lily's bed.

"Life." Came Rose's muffled response.

"Care to elaborate honey?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"BOYS! BLOODY BOYS!" Rose shouted as she sat up suddenly. "That's what's bloody wrong!" Rose yelled.

After their hearts settled, Hermione and Ginny asked Rose to explain what about boys that was so wrong. And so Rose explained what Al had told her earlier about what had happened right before break.

Ginny just shook her head and sighed. Everyone knew that James had no tact, but Albus? He should have realized that this was something Rose needed to hear from Hadrian, and not him. Ginny turned to Hermione and whispered, "I swear that my boys have inherited their lack of tact from Ronald."

But Hermione was too busy looking at her dejected daughter. She remembered the struggles she had to face before she and Ron could get together. Oh, the drama. All of it seemed so foolish back then, but then again, this was happening to her daughter now. "Sweetheart, I know that this is a hard time for you, but I want to let you know that you have every right to feel upset—"

Hermione was interrupted by Rose. "But I'm not upset!" Hermione and Ginny exchanged confused looks. "I mean, I am upset, but I'm more confused than upset!" Rose exclaimed.

"What do you mean Rose?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. I'm so confused right now!" Rose said as she flopped down amongst the pillows.

"Well, why don't you try and explain what you're feeling. That might clear up some of your confusion." Hermione said. She and her daughter were similar in that they both felt deeply. Sometimes Hermione felt that rationalization was the only way to clear up what she was feeling and make sense of it to herself.

"I feel hurt. Not so much because Hadrian slept with Melissa, but that he didn't tell me! The reason why I'm not upset with Hadrian sleeping with Melissa is because he honestly didn't know it wasn't me. I can't be mad at him for that, but I can be mad and hurt that he wasn't the one to tell me, right?" Rose said as she looked at her mother and aunt for confirmation. When they both nodded she went on. "I'm also hurt and mad at Al and Scorpius too! Who gives them the right to decide that I shouldn't be told something this important? I love and trust both of them, but apparently they don't love and trust me enough to know that I could take hearing about it from Hadrian without getting mad! I would have understood!" Rose said angrily. "And what makes it even worse is that right now I like my boyfriend, even though I am super disgusted and weirded out to know that he slept with Melissa, but I'm also still in love with Scorpius! So I'm doubly hurt and confused and angry! Oh, and don't get me started on Melissa!" Rose said as her eyes flashed dangerously.

Silence descended on the room as Rose attempted to calm herself down and as Hermione and Ginny tried to process everything.

Before Hermione or Ginny could think of anything to say, Rose asked another question. "Mum, Aunt Ginny? When did you know that you loved Dad and Uncle Harry? And how did you know they were the 'ones'?" Rose asked in all seriousness. "Did you ever love another boy before Dad and Uncle Harry?"

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other. "Do you want to go first Gin?" Hermione asked.

"Ok, I'll go." Ginny said to Hermione. "Rose, is there any particular reason you're asking us these questions now?" Ginny asked. "Does it have to do with you liking your boyfriend but still being in love with Scorpius?"

Rose nodded sheepishly.

"Alright. I'll tell you my story about how I fell in love with Uncle Harry, and how I knew he was the 'one'." Ginny said kindly. "Hopefully it'll help answer any questions or clear up any confusion you might feel.

"Thanks Aunt Ginny." Rose said relieved.

"Let's see. The first time I met Harry was when I was ten and he was eleven. It was at King's Cross Station actually! I remember that I met him briefly when Ron introduced him to my mum, and I remember thinking that he was even more amazing then what the books had already written about him!" Ginny said as she laughed at her young self. "Goodness, they even wrote about him back then!" Ginny said amused. "Anyways, I think that that was the moment that my admiration for him from the stories that my mum told me turned into a crush. Harry became more than the famed boy who lived. He was just a young, confused, and scared boy like me! Hmmm… The next time I saw Harry was over the summer when he came to the Burrow. I remember that I would always drop whatever I was holding because I was so nervous to talk to him! Luckily, he pretended not to notice." Ginny said as she grimaced at the embarrassing things she did as a kid. "I think that I might have experienced the first feelings of love for Harry when we visited the book store when Lucius Malfoy and my father got into a fight. I don't exactly remember what was said, but I stood up for him that day. And when I did, I was infused with this amazing feeling. Too bad Voldemort had to steal all of my feelings away my first year." Ginny said bitterly as she remembered what her first year was like under Tom Riddle's influence. "The next thing I really remember clearly is waking up the Chamber of Secrets with Harry standing over me. In between worrying about what I had done, and if Voldemort was near, I remember thinking that Harry was my hero. Not the hero of the world, but the hero of my heart and being. I know it sounds cheesy, but that's what my eleven year old self thought." Ginny said sheepishly.

"The hero of you heart? Why, that's a new one Mrs. Potter." Harry said with a wink from where he was standing from the door.

Hermione and started laughing, and even Rose managed a few giggles at Ginny's embarrassment.

"I… You… HARRY JAMES POTTER! WERE YOU EVESDROPPING ON US?!" Ginny yelled, embarrassed. "OUT!" she said while pointing at the door.

"C'mon Gin! Harry and I would love to hear more about how Our Chosen One was the Hero of Your Heart" George said from where he was standing with Ron behind Harry.

"GRRR. George, Ron, Harry, get out! This is a private conversation!" And with that, Ginny sent a bat boogey hex their way, magically slammed, sealed, and silenced the door shut. "Even if they try using extendible ears, they woudn't be able to hear anything." Ginny said smugly.

Rose just looked at her aunt impressed.

"Now, where was I. Oh yes, we'll just, uh, move on the next year then! So, my third year was the year of the Tri-Wizard tournament. The year that Harry had a thing for Cho Chang, Hermione had a thing for Viktor Krum, and your father had a thing for Aunt Fluer. It was quite funny actually looking back. Your father asked Aunt Fluer out in front of the whole school only to be rejected! It wasn't funny then, but it's fun make fun of now." Ginny said as she and Hermione tried and failed to fight off giggles.

"Ewwww! Dad and Aunt Fluer! Gross! And Mum! You and Viktor KRUM! The known ladies' man in Bulgaria?!" Rose asked disgusted. Merlin, she should have thought this through before asking about her parent's love lives.

"He wasn't a ladies' man back then!" Hermione said a bit embarrassed.

"Anyways, Harry had a huge crush on Cho, and it broke my young heart. Cho and I get on greatly now, but when Harry was into her I was so jealous! Cho was exceptionally pretty, and I was only known to him as the tom-boyish younger sister. Actually, Cho ended up married to Michael, one of my ex-boyfriends. It's funny how things turn out…" Ginny said as she trailed off.

"You dated Mr. Corner! My best friend's Dad!" Rose asked Ginny with wide eyes.

"Yes, because your mother told me to. She told me that one way in which to get Harry to notice me as more than Ron's younger sister was to be more confident in myself, and my abilities, and to maybe try dating a few other people. At that point I was willing to because I was feeling that it was hopeless with Harry anyways because he was preoccupied with Voldemort coming back and trying to ask out Cho. I felt that he needed his friends. And I wanted to be there and be his friend too, other feelings aside. That was the year that Michael asked me out. It was during my fourth year and Harry's fifth. The year that we started the DA and Harry dated Cho, and the year that the Battle at the Ministry took place. And the year that Sirius died. It was a hard year for everyone." Ginny said as her eyes filled with sadness.

Rose had heard all of these stories. Not the ones about her Aunt's love life, but of the Ministry Battle and of Sirius. Even though she never knew him, she still got sad whenever he was mentioned.

"Why did you and Mr. Corner break up?" Rose asked.

"He got jealous of Harry. He thought I talked about him too much, which looking back I probably did. I was just concerned for him. He was worried about being possessed by Voldemort, and I was trying to convince him he was not because I knew what it was like to be possessed. Michael was horribly mad after, but he got over it after he started dating Cho after the final battle. After Michael I started dating Dean—"

"You dated Mr. Thomas! Fred's girlfriend's father! Does he know this?!" Rose exclaimed.

"No! And he doesn't need to! These romances happened in the past. The only reason I'm telling you this is because you asked." Ginny said somewhat crossly.

"Sorry Aunt Ginny. That was a James move I just pulled…" Rose apologized sheepishly.

Ginny just laughed. "Don't worry about it. But you're right. James would go and tell Fred that just to see if he could freak him out. Anyways, I dated Dean longer than Michael because we had more in common. Dean was Harry's friend, so he wasn't unnecessarily jealous of him. We also had Quidditch in common, and comic books. I used to sneak Ron's when he wasn't looking. Even though I dated and like Michael and Dean, I never stopped loving Harry deep down inside. I think the part of me that loved Harry got excited when I realized that he was looking at me longer than usual, and when he would hug me a little bit longer. My feelings were confirmed after Dean and I broke up, and Harry kissed me after we won the big Quidditch game! It was then that I knew all along that Harry was and had been the one for me." Ginny concluded with a smile.

"So you loved Uncle Harry from the beginning?" Rose asked.

"Yes. And even though we've been married for some time, I still find myself loving him every day." Ginny said.

"Wow. What about you mum?" Rose asked turning to Hermione.

"Well, I think that part of me knew I liked your father since the fourth year." Hermione said contemplatively.

"Only the fourth year? Dad once told me that he had been secretly attracted to you since first year!" Rose said.

"Well, I did have a small crush on someone before I had feelings for your father…" Hermione said.

"Who!" Ginny and Rose asked together. Ginny didn't know Hermione had liked anyone besides Ron.

"What I'm about to tell you cannot under any circumstances leave this room, much less get back to your father. Understand?" Once Rose and Ginny had nodded, Hermione continued with a sigh. "I had the biggest crush on Draco Malfoy up until that fateful day when he called me a Mudblood in second year. Up until then he had never said anything to me. He had this unapproachable quality to him that made me want to get to know him. Him calling me a Mudblood got rid of those ideas rather quickly though." Hermione said with a scowl.

Rose was shocked. Her mum and Mr. MALFOY! As in Scorpius' father? EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

"Mum eww! That's Scorpius' dad!" Rose said as she crinkled her nose in disgust. Ginny just looked shocked.

Hermione gave a nervous chuckle and grin. "What can I say honey? I guess that us Ganger girls find the Malfoy men captivating. Or did for me. Totally past tense. I'm in love with your father and cannot imagine myself with anyone but him, and I think Astoria Malfoy is lovely. We're in a book club together you know!" Hermione said with a smile. She always smiled when books were mentioned.

"But.." Rose started.

"Rose, let your mum continue with her story. You can ask questions when she's finished. Now that I think about it, I have a few questions myself missy!" Ginny said while mock glaring at Hermione.

"Thanks Gin." Hermione said with an eye roll. Anyways, I started to have feelings for your father around fourth year. I was desperately hoping he would ask me to the Ball, but he was obsessed with Fluer then, and apparently didn't realize I was a girl…" Hermione said with huffily. "Anyways, Viktor beat him to it, and what can I say? He was the first boy to take notice of me, and he was handsome in this rugged way. So I said yes. I wouldn't say that we dated per say, but we did hang out and kiss a bit. Anyways, I knew your father was the one once I smelled him in my Amortentia. That never lies. But, of course, your father being as he is, we ended up not getting together until that kiss during the middle of the war. And like Ginny, that kiss confirmed what I had been feeling and what the Amortentia told me. That your father was and is my true love." Hermione said.

"You kissed during the middle of the war?!" Rose asked in disbelief.

Hermione just sighed. "I swear she gets this trait from Ron!"

Ginny just laughed. "My brother does tend to focus on some of the unimportant details…"

"So, did our stories help at all?" Hermione asked her daughter.

"Well, they definitely gave me stuff to think about." Rose said as she tried to commit what was said to memory.

Before anyone could say anything else they were interrupted by Molly's cry of dinner.

* * *

Rose woke up on Christmas morning excited but apprehensive. This was the day that both Scorpius and Hadrian would be arriving. She had thought about what her mother and aunt had said and still didn't know what to do.

Rose was opening presents when Al poked his head into the room she was sharing with Lily. Christmas was the only time that Lily ever got up earlier than she did, so she was currently alone in her room.

"Hey, I know you're mad, but it's Christmas, please forgive me!" Al said.

Rose sighed. "It's ok to come in. And I'm not mad. I was never mad at you. Just hurt and confused." Rose said as Al sat down on her bed.

"Then why have you been ignoring me?" Al said with hurt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry about that too. I've just been thinking. It's all so confusing." Rose said tiredly.

"What's so confusing?" Al asked.

"Mostly my feelings about Hadrian and Scorpius. I don't know how I feel about either of them right now." Rose said dejectedly.

"Do you still have feelings for Scorpius?" Al asked.

Rose nodded miserably. "It would be easier if I didn't."

Al put his shoulder around Rose comfortingly. "Hey, what's meant to happen will happen. But, just know that I have your back and support you." Al said as Rose turned in for a hug.

* * *

The Weasley Christmas party was in full swing when Scorpius and Hadrian arrived. Rose found it ironic that they both managed to arrive within minutes of each other, and that the first thing they both decided to do was seek her out.

Hadrian got there first. He picked Rose up and swung her around before pulling her in for a kiss. Usually Rose would find this amusing, but right now she found it unsettling. Hadrian wasn't even acting like anything was wrong.

Not a moment later Scorpius did the same thing, minus the kiss. Rose by this time was annoyed since both her boys were acting like nothing was wrong and nothing had happened.

"Scorpius, Hadrian, I need to talk to you." Rose said in a tone that would hold no argument.

Scorpius and Hadrian exchanged nervous glances as they followed Rose to the kitchen.

"What's up babe?" Hadrian asked concerned. Scorpius also looked concerned.

"I know." Was all she said.

Both Hadrian and Scorpius' faces drained of color. Both glanced at each other before Scorpius yelled, "AL!"

"Oh stop it Scorpius! Don't blame Al for something you decided! And who pray tell made you my keeper? It wasn't your decision to keep something like this from me!" Rose said as her face slowly became the famous Weasley red.

"I didn't want you to be hurt." Scorpius said.

"Hurt! What hurts is that you made the decision for me! You should have known me better, known that this is something I wanted to know! And you!" Rose said pointing at Hadrian. "You're my BOYFRIEND! I should have heard this from you, not AL!"

"Rose I'm sorry! You don't know how sorry I am!" Hadrian said pleadingly.

Rose just pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I'm not mad about Melissa. I'm mad and HURT that both of you woudn't have ever told me. That's what hurts." Rose said as she looked at Scorpius and Hadrian with tears in her eyes.

Scorpius' heart hurt as he saw how deeply hurt Rose was by his actions. "Rose, I—" Scorpius started.

But Rose just held up her hand. "Stop, I don't want to hear it right now. Please just go Scorpius. I want to talk to Hadrian alone."

Scorpius wanted to argue, but he knew he really didn't have a choice. As he walked out of the kitchen, he glanced back at Rose, and saw her sad face. From that moment on Scorpius decided that he would never again hurt her.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Hadrian asked as soon as they were alone.

"I… No. I'm not." Rose said with a sigh. "I still like you Hadrian, and I forgive you for the Melissa mishap, since you really were under the impression that she was me, but why would you keep this from me?" Rose asked seriously.

"I didn't want you to get hurt." Hadrian said.

Rose sighed. They just didn't get it. "Didn't it occur to you at all that it might have hurt me more not knowing? Even if Melissa promised not to tell, it still would have probably gotten back to me. You know how Hogwarts is. If it's a secret, everyone knows about it."

"I… I'm sorry. I don't know what to say." Hadrian said seriously.

"Me neither." Rose said. "Maybe we need a break. Not a break up, but a break. Just so we can get our thoughts together." Rose said.

Hadrian closed his eyes, but nodded. He realized that Rose needed time to think and process things. As a friend, he could give it to her. "If you figure things out, let me know, ok? No matter what direction they go in." Hadrian said.

Rose just nodded.

Hadrian walked up to Rose and gave her a quick kiss. "I love you. I just want you to know that." Hadrian said seriously.

Rose nodded as she saw the seriousness in his eyes. After a couple moments, Hadrian backed up and walked away leaving Rose alone with her thoughts.

Rose just sighed to herself. Instead of finding answers, all she found were more questions and more confusion.

* * *

Ok, so I love the idea of Hermione/Ginny/Rose bonding time, hence the scene where they are talking about their love lives. I do ship Dramione, which is why I have that little bit on Hermione having a brief crush on Draco. I also ship Romione though. I ship the two for different reasons. I love the Harry/Ginny ship. I don't ship them with anyone but themselves.

I exclusively ship Rose and Scorpius with each other. I'm not a fan of the other Scorpius ships out there whether they be ScorLily, ScorDom, ScorRox, or ScorOC. I feel like Dom and Roxanne were too old for him (they were at least in fourth year or higher when he started), and Lily I think would have a good friend/almost sibling relationship with him. I feel like Rose and Lily would practically be sisters so I hate the fanfics where they fight over Scorpius. Plus, I ship LyLil so hard! Or if I were to do an OC, it would probably whoever Zabini or Theo Nott's son was with Lily.

I also love Al/Rose bonding time! I like the whole close cousin dynamic they have going on.

And, Hadrian and Rose have not broken up. I want to make that clear. They are just taking a break so that Rose can figure things out. That being said, this is still Scorose. It's just going to take time to get there.

Thanks for reading! :)


	17. OF ARGUMENTS AND MANIPULATIONS

**Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

I felt bad about not updating in a while, so I worked hard to crank out to chapters today. Follow or check back periodically. I will update as soon as I can!

Thanks for reading! :)

* * *

It was well into March before Rose was ready to make her decision. She had resigned herself to the fact that she would always love Scorpius, even though the love was one-sided. At the same time, Rose knew that she had it in herself to also love Hadrian, who did love her and who was good for her. Rose smiled. She had just answered herself after all.

Rose found Hadrian out by the lake. He was enjoying one of the nicer Spring days.

"What're you doing?" Rose asked as she plopped down next to him.

Hadrian started, but then smiled when he saw Rose. "Relaxing and drawing the giant squid." Hadrian said as he showed Rose what he was working on.

"Hey! That's really good!" Rose said smiling. It really did look like the giant squid.

"Thanks." Hadrian said with a smile as he added the finishing touches to the squid's tentacles.

"Hadrian, I've come to my decision." Rose said shly.

Hadrian noticeably tensed up as he waited for what Rose had to say. "I want to stay together. I really like you, and you're good to me. I want to be together if that's what you still—"

Rose was cut off by a searing kiss from Hadrian. Rose smiled when he pulled back and gave a slight smirk. "I'm guessing that's a yes then?"

"Like it would be anything else." Hadrian replied as they went in for another kiss.

* * *

Scorpius watched the pair from the owlery. He was on his way to send his mother a letter when he saw the familiar flash of Rose's hair shining in the sun. Scorpius moved closer to the window to see where she was going. As Scorpius watched, he saw Rose talk to Hadrian, and then get kissed by him. He didn't know why, but he suddenly wanted to sock Hadrian in the face. Scorpius turned away from the kissing couple to try and find an owl, only to find that they had crumpled his letter and smeared the ink.

"Damn."

* * *

Scorpius was flying around the Quidditch pitch trying to clear his mind. Lately he had been thinking about Rose. How she smelled, how beautiful she looked, how wonderful her brain was, and how she was always up for a good laugh. This of course was alternated with the thought of doing harm to Hadrian, who he regretfully could not help be like even though he wanted to dislike him. All in all, Scorpius was stressed and confused. The only way he knew how to deal was through flying.

Scorpius' peaceful flight was interrupted by someone calling his name. Looking down Scorpius could just make out the features of Lysander Scamander, who was clearly trying to get his attention. Scorpius sighed as he aimed his broom towards the ground.

"Hey mate, I was looking for you!" Lysander said as soon as Scorpius landed.

"Hey Ly, what's up?" Scorpius asked wearily.

"I just wanted to talk. Hey, you ok?" Ly asked once he took in Scorpius' haggard appearance.

"Yea, I'm just stressed. Have a lot on my mind. What did you want to talk about?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, there's someone who…-" Lysander began only to be cut off by Scorpius.

"It's Lily isn't it." Scorpius said knowingly.

Lysander blushed, but didn't deny it.

"Well, what about her?" Scorpius asked.

"Ithinkilikeher." Ly said.

"What." Scorpius said.

"I think I like her. But she's with that Brent guy now! Has been for a while." Ly said disgustedly. He obviously was not a fan of Brent.

Scorpius knew when a fellow guy needed to vent about a girl. So he just waited for Lysander to continue.

"Lily is my best friend! Or she was. Now she spends a lot of time with Brent. It's not like she ignores me or anything, but we're not as close as we were! And it bugs me!" Lysander said as he paced back in forth in front of Scorpius.

"Well, why didn't you ask her out if you liked her?" Scorpius asked.

"It's because I didn't realize I liked her until recently! I mean, I always liked her. Lily's Lily! How can you not like her? She's smart, sweet, funny, beautiful, great at Quidditch, caring… Sweet Merlin!" Ly said as he stopped in his tracks. "I'm in love with her!"

And with that, Ly sank to the ground.

Scorpius had to internalize a snort. Ly was a drama queen if he could call a guy that. Maybe the proper terminology was drama king. While Lysander was your typical dude's dude, he did tend to overdramatize every situation. He even dramatized his realization that he loved Lily. They're perfect for each other, Scorpius thought dryly.

"Erm Ly? Why are you telling me this, if you don't mind me asking. We've never really talked before." Scorpius asked.

Lysander looked up from where he was sitting on the ground. "Because I figure we're in the same boat." Ly replied simply.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked more quickly than he would have liked.

"Well, we both are in love with our best friends, who happen to be taken right now." Ly said as he scowled.

"Uhh, I never said anything about being in love with Rose." Scorpius said. He realized his mistake too late.

"I never mentioned Rose." Ly said slyly. "Besides, you don't need to SAY anything. It's written all over your face when you see Rose with Hadrian. You do love her, but you just aren't ready to admit it to yourself. That or you don't realize it yet." Ly said

Damn. Scorpius had forgotten who he was talking to. While Lysander Scamander could be really dramatic, he was still Luna Scamander nee Lovegood's son. They were oddly perceptive that bunch.

"I don't love Rose." Scorpius scoffed. "We're… best friends!"

"Denial is the first sign of love." Ly chanted from the ground.

"What, that's the first sign that you have an addiction or something. That doesn't make sense." Scorpius said annoyed.

"Well then, you're addicted to Rosie." Ly said jokingly.

"Don't call her Rosie. She hates that!" Scorpius said crossly. Now he remembered why he and Ly never talked.

"Fine, I can see you're getting annoyed, so I'll leave you be." Ly said as he got up from the ground. "But, think about what I said, and what you just said. You sure do know a lot about Rose. And Rose did say that she loved you at one point." Ly said before turning and heading back towards the castle.

"You're welcome!" Scorpius called after him.

Ly just turned around and waved.

As Scorpius got back on his broom, he couldn't help but think about what Ly said.

* * *

Lily was walking with Brent down the streets of Hogsmeade while Brent was talking. Lily couldn't help but internally sigh. It's not that she didn't like Brent, it was that she didn't know if she still like-liked him. When they had first started dating, Brent seemed so intelligent and cool. But now, that intelligence was starting to seem like arrogance. It was in the way that he talked to her and others sometimes. Like he was superior just because he was a Ravenclaw and the smartest in his year. It was starting to bother Lily. While she didn't mind intelligence, she preferred that it was balanced with the ability to be spontaneous.

"Brent, let's go to the Shrieking Shack!" Lily said. She wanted to have fun and go on an adventure.

"Why?" Brent asked genuinely confused.

"Because, I want to have fun!" Lily said.

"Fun? Am I not fun Lily?" Brent asked annoyed.

"What? That's not what I meant Brent!" Lily said.

"Yes, but you implied it!" Brent said. As if she were a three year old.

"And pray tell how my suggestion of going to the Shrieking Shack implies that you're not fun." Lily said, exasperated.

"Easy, you always interrupt me when I talk, and then suggest doing something totally ridiculous and stupid!" Brent said loudly. They were starting to gather attention.

"Stupid! My ideas are stupid! The only reason I suggest these ideas is because all you do is talk about yourself! In case you haven't noticed, I'm here too. What if I want to talk about my dreams and my passions!" Lily said.

"What dreams? You're only a fourth year! It's not like you're taking your OWLs! I am! Therefore I'm entitled to talk about my dreams, because they actually matter!" Brent said yelling now.

"So then my dreams don't matter?" Lily said dangerously.

Brent just sighed and rolled his eyes. "You know that's not what I mean Lily."

"Really? Because I think that is what you meant. How about this. I'll go to the Shrieking Shack, and you stay here and figure out exactly what you mean!" Lily said before flipping her hair and stalking away down the street.

"Women!" Brent said to no one in particular.

* * *

Melissa walked down the sidewalk going over the fight between Brent and Lily. It was a spectacular fight, Melissa thought happily. Too bad it wasn't with the red head she so desperately hated. While Lily and Brent might be having trouble in paradise, Rose and Hadrian were going strong. It was sickening. But what was even worse was the way Scorpius looked at Rose whenever she wasn't paying attention. It was like she was the most precious thing on the planet. Her Scorpy was looking at the half-blood she-Weasel bitch in a way that he had never looked at her. It was maddening.

Melissa was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that she had ventured into the less populated part of town. The only reason she did notice was because she was roused from her thoughts by the sound of someone apparating. Melissa looked around but didn't see anything.

Just because she couldn't see anyone, didn't mean they weren't there. Melissa was anything but an idiot. "Who's there?" she called out as she took out her wand. 'I'm warning you I'm—"

Melissa was stunned from behind before she could finish her sentence. After taking her wand, the person swung Melissa's unconscious body and apparated away.

* * *

Lily was walking towards the Shrieking Shack and mumbling to herself when a yellow Daffodil suddenly appeared in front of her. This was enough to make her stop and smile. Daffodils were her favorite flower, and the only person who knew that was Lysander. Everyone else thought that because she was named Lily, her favorite flowers were lilies. It was quite annoying.

"You can come out now Ly." Lily said as she looked around the clearing.

"Caught me." Ly said with a smile as he stepped out from behind a tree.

Wow. Lily thought. She had forgotten how good Ly looked, or maybe it was because she had been too caught up with Brent to notice.

"How did you know I would be here?" Lily asked.

"Well, I might have heard you scream something about wanting to go the Shrieking Shack… So I decided to surprise you!" Ly said with a smile.

But Lily just grimaced as she was reminded of her very public fight with Brent. With her luck it would be all over the Prophet tomorrow. She could just see the headlines now.

"Knut for your thought?" Ly said since Lily seemed to be deep in thought about something.

Lily sighed and sat on the side of the road. Lysander sat down next to her.

"It's Brent. Lately he's been irritating me! It seems that lately all he does is talk about himself. It's all about his goals and his dreams. Whenever I try to talk about what I want to do he always ties it back to him. It's maddening!" Lily said as she through her arms in the air in frustration.

"That sucks." Ly said sympathetically. On one hand he was sad that Lily was upset, but on the other, he was internally rejoicing. The part of him that wanted to be with Lily that is.

"Yea. And he always talks to me like I'm three! I know I'm not the smartest person, and I don't take my school work as seriously as I should, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid!" Lily said.

Ly just snorted. "Trust me, the only stupid one is Brent." Ly said under his breath.

"Pardon?" Lily said,

"I just said that Brent is the stupid one. He's so caught up in himself that he doesn't see what's right in front of him. He doesn't see the beautiful, smart, caring, and witty young woman that I do. He doesn't see you like I do." Ly said as he look Lily in the eye.

Lily held her breath. Her heart was beating wildly. What was happening?

"Although, I do say that I might have something in common with him." Ly said as he looked away.

Now Lily was just confused. "What are you talking about Ly?"

"Both Brent and I didn't see what was right in front of our eyes. He can't see now, and I didn't see until it was too late." Ly said cryptically. "But enough of that talk. I do believe the lady doth want to go see the Shrieking Shack." Ly said with his usual cheeky grin.

Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friends attempted use of old English. But she accepted his hand and arm anyways. Lily couldn't help but laugh with Ly, but she was storing their conversation to dissect for later.

* * *

Albus and Mei were enjoying a drink at the three Broomsticks when they were suddenly joined by an irate looking

Brent. Albus and Mei just exchanged a look.

"Sure you can sit with us!" Al said sarcastically as Brent had pulled up a chair.

Brent just waved Albus off. This caused Al's eyebrows to raise. That was never a good sign.

"I don't know how you do it mate." Brent said in all seriousness.

"Do what?" Mei asked confused.

"Be around her! She's so immature!" Brent whined.

"You better not be talking about Lily." Al threatened. He and Mei had heard all about the fight from those who had come in and out of the pub.

"I am! All she does is want to flit around! She doesn't understand that there are serious things in the world. She can't be serious for one second!" Brent said.

Al's glass shattered, as did those around him. "I think that you're the one who can't be taken serious Andrews!" Al all but shouted. "At least my sister cares about someone other than herself! Get off your damn high horse would ya!"

The pub had gone deathly silent, and Brent looked as if he had been slapped across the face.

Finally, when he had regained the ability to speak, he said, "You Potter's are all bloody crazy!" before he stormed away.

Al just sat down and put his head in his hands as the rest of the pub started to digest the newest piece of gossip. "I bet you're embarrassed to be with me right now." Al told Mei sheepishly.

"On the contrary." Mei said with a smile. "I've never wanted to be with you more." She said before pulling Al in for a heart stopping kiss.

The last coherent thought Al had was that he should do stuff like that more often.

* * *

Melissa came to with a groan. She immediately sat up as she was in the middle of a room full of people that she did not know. She began to search for her wand, which she couldn't find.

"Don't bother looking. I have it here." A man with glasses said. He was indeed holding her wand.

Melissa's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And may I have it back?" she asked bitingly.

The man just raised her eyebrows. "I do believe you were right Erasmus. This could be the missing piece." He said as he studied Melissa.

What the fuck was going on. "What are you on about?" Melissa asked angrily. "Who are you?"

"All in good time my dear. " The man said. "Are you Scorpius Malfoy's girlfriend?"

Melissa just bristled. Great, another person rubbing the fact that they had broken up in her face. "Ex." Melissa mumbled.

Bernard looked surprised. "What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"That bitch Weasley happened." Melissa hissed.

"Would you be talking about Rose Weasley?" Bernard asked.

"Yes." Melissa replied through gritted teeth.

"And I'm guessing you'd like to get revenge on Miss Weasley?" Bernard asked as he began to circle Melissa.

"Yes. I want her to pay." Melissa said with a gleam in her eye that was not quite sane.

"As do we." The man said simply.

Melissa turned around in surprise.

"Well, we want more than just Miss Weasley to pay, but that would be a start." The man said. "Melissa, we brought you here today for those exact reasons. That you want to get revenge on Miss Weasley. We had thought it would be because you perceived her as a threat to your relationship, but this new development is even more splendid."

"I'm so glad you wish to benefit from my misfortune." Melissa said scathingly.

"Don't think of it as misfortune, think of it as an opportunity. With us, you will be able to have your revenge on Miss Weasley and more." The main said with a smile.

"That would be great, if I knew who you are." Melissa said with an eye roll.

"How rude of us. Let me introduce you to the Brotherhood. Everyone in this room is a member, aside from you of course, but we wish for you to join us." Bernard said as he gestured around the room.

Melissa gasped. She had heard about the Brotherhood. They were all over the news. A powerful group that apparently had it in for the Potter's, Weasley's, Malfoy's, and all other's who took part in the war. On top of that, the Ministry and Harry Potter himself did not seem to be able to locate them.

"What's in it for me?" Melissa asked.

"If you help spy on those in Hogwarts, you can have Scorpius once we, uh, deal with the rest of them." The man said as he was well aware of her underlying motives. The part about letting her have Scorpius was of a course a lie, but she did not need to know that.

"You drive a hard bargain, but I accept." Melissa said with a grin.

"One more thing. If you join our group, there is no way out save death. If you attempt to talk about our group or our plans, you will die a most painful death. If you would rather back out now, we shall simply obliviate you and send you on your way." The man said as he watched Melissa's reaction to the news.

"I don't give a shit. I just want Weasley to pay. And why not throw her friends in as well." Melissa said as she imagined all the horrible things that she would have the power of doing with a strong group at her back.

"Very well then. You will need the mark." The man said as he held out his wand.

"Whoa! Mark! Is this like the Dark Mark!" Melissa asked panicked.

"No you stupid girl!" the man said enraged. "We are nothing like the Death Eaters or Voldemort. He wished to cleanse the world of those he deemed unworthy and inferior. We fight to rectify what he did. And we had the mark before the Dark Mark was even invented. Voldemort created his mark upon hearing rumors about ours!"

"Ok, I was just asking. Yeesh." Melissa said. Some people could be so touchy.

"Just give me your shoulder." The man said exasperated.

"Shoulder?" Melissa questioned.

"Yes. Your shoulder. People are less likely to see it there." The man said with as much patience as possible. If he didn't need the girl… But alas, he did for his plans to work.

"Will it hurt?" Melissa asked.

"NO! Now just hold still!" the man said as he performed the necessary spell.

All of a sudden Melissa was infused the coldest feeling she had ever felt. It was even colder than the time she had accidentally walked through a ghost. Melissa involuntarily shivered.

"There. You are now an official part of our group. You shall feel a similar feeling when we plan on meeting. As soon as you step to a place where it is possible to apparate, the mark will automatically transport you there. Understood?" the man asked. He really hoped she didn't have any more questions. She was quite annoying. No wonder the young Malfoy dumped her.

Melissa just shook her head.

"Very well. Erasmus will take you back." The man said as he handed Melissa back her wand.

A moment later Erasmus disapparated with the girl. Even though she was beyond annoying, her want for vengeance and manipulative ways could come in handy. Bernard just smiled to himself. Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, their families and all the others wouldn't know what hit them when he came for them.

* * *

Thank you for reading! :)

I need Rose and Hadrian to be together for Scorpius to realize his true feelings. Plus, I do like Hadrian as a character.

I also liked going into the other characters stories a bit. It lets you know what they're up to. Plus, I wanted some LyLil action ;)

Uh-oh. Melissa has officially joined the Brotherhood. Crazy plus power equals trouble.


End file.
